Grant Dawson points to Oliveira as evidence he can become UFC champ

In the what have you done for me lately world of the UFC, Grant Dawson's most recent outing could have knocked him back plenty of rungs on the ladder.

If it did in terms of his lightweight ranking, that's one thing. But he was determined to not let it take his motivation and spirit down a few notches with it.

Dawson was knocked out by Manuel Torres at UFC 323 this past December midway through the first round. It snapped a three-fight winning streak that appeared to have him back in the lightweight contenders conversation – a spot he had to reacquire after a stunning 33-second KO loss to King Green in 2023, which was his first setback in the UFC.

Just like after the Green loss, he now is tasked with bouncing back. This time, Dawson (23-3-1 MMA, 11-2-1 UFC) meets Mateusz Rebecki (20-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) on the prelims at UFC 328 (Paramount+), which is set for May 9 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Dawson and Rebecki spent some brief time in the training room together at American Top Team years ago, though Dawson doesn't think that will have much bearing on the fight. Instead, he's focused more on the potential opportunity awaiting with a win.

"I think other than being undefeated and in the running for a title, I can't be much happier," Dawson told MMA Junkie Radio. "The UFC is paying me an amount of money that I never thought I would make in my entire life, so I have to work two days a year to live a life that I absolutely adore.

"This is a big fight for me. This is going to show that I'm still top level. Rebecki is coming off of a couple of losses, but those losses and his win over (Myktybek) Orolbai are Fight of the Year contenders. Everybody knows how tough he is. Everybody knows that he's not going to give up. Even if I get his arm or his neck, I just don't see this guy tapping. I do think I will finish him, but mentally I am prepared for 15 minutes of war if need be."

Rebecki has lost three of his past four fights over a two-year stretch. But he also has three straight Fight of the Night bonuses for a split decision win over Orolbai, a decision loss to Chris Duncan and a majority decision loss to Ludovit Klein this past October.

So Dawson knows despite the recent bumps on the resume for the 33-year-old Rebecki, he has the ability to turn things sour on him. But that's a risk Dawson said he knew about when he started.

Plus, he figures one day he'll have a title around his waist, similar to another recent lightweight champion. And then, people can talk about his losses to Green and Torres all they want.

"I didn't get into this sport to be perfect," Dawson said. "I didn't get into this sport to beat Bobby Green and Torres. I got into this sport to be world champion. Charles Oliveira has lost to plenty of people he shouldn't have. Everybody other than Ilia Topuria has lost to plenty of people they shouldn't have. It's going to happen. That's just life. Get back on the horse. Keep trying. All these fans telling me to quit, if every UFC fighter quit when the fans told them to, we'd have no show. So I'm going to keep doing my thing and keep working toward that belt."