LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 07: Bobby Green reacts after defeating Grant Dawson in a lightweight … [+] fight during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in at UFC APEX on October 07, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesUFC veteran Bobby Green pulled off an enormous upset in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 80 fight card, ending the seven-year unbeaten streak of Grant Dawson.
The 37-year-old Dawson went into the event, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, as the +380 betting underdog to his 29-year-old foe. Dawson was a whopping -500 betting favorite in the matchup. At the time of the fight, Dawson was the No. 10 fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings with an 8-0-1 record with the promotion, while Green, who was 11-9-1 in the UFC, was unranked.
Green ended the fight before either man worked up a sweet. After dodging six attempted strikes from Dawson, Green uncorked a straight left that dropped Dawson to the mat. The six strikes Green landed on his downed opponent seemed extraneous, but they gave referee Keith Peterson all the reasons he needed to stop the fight 33 seconds after it began.
After the event, UFC CEO Dana White awarded Green with his second straight „Performance of the Night“ bonus. The UFC boss also singled Green out for praise.
„This sport is crazy, you never know what’s going to happen in this sport,“ White said after the event. „If you look at Dawson, he hasn’t lost a fight since (20)16. He’s like 20-1 and in the top 15, and boom, one punch. Jab. You never know. It’s crazy.“
After his victory, Green said he wanted to fight in December and be the most active fighter on the UFC roster in 2023. If Green gets a fight in December, it will be his fourth fight of the calendar year. He is 2-0 with one no contest in those matchups. His past two outings have been stoppage victories. In July he submitted former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson. Green’s no contest came in April when his opponent in that matchup, Jared Gordon, was knocked unconscious after an accidental clash of heads.
White was not against seeing Green back in the Octagon before the end of the year. „There’s always room,“ said White. „We can always add another fight. If he really wants to turn around, we’ll see. We’ll see what’s going on, and we’ll figure something out.”
Dawson failed to land a single attempted strike in the fight. His previous loss was a 35-second knockout setback to Hugh Pulley in 2016 under the Kansas City Fighting Alliance banner.