Grant Dawson Recalls Bizarre Fight Week Incident That Left Him Training Alone
Grant Dawson was almost left without training partners before the UFC 333 showdown after he encountered a weird MMA gym rule.
The American lightweight is fresh off a statement victory at UFC 333 over Nurullo Aliev following a brutal 15-minute sprint. That showdown, however, could have easily turned sideways if Grant Dawson had kept training at the first gym he stopped at during fight week.
Grant Dawson Sheds Light on Weird No-Sparring Gym
UFC icon Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym is located at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. Seemingly a perfect training spot for fighters flying in to the UAE for their Etihad Arena showdown on Oct. 24, Grant Dawson had other plans. 'KGD' had dunked on the Khabib Gym for "racist" reasons, only to step somewhere worse.
Speaking with the Show Me The Money podcast, Dawson recalled stumbling upon a picture of his opponent the moment he walked into a UFC gym. A no-sparring policy only made things weirder for the lightweight.
"They were like, 'Our one rule is no sparring.' And I was like, 'Okay, that's a little weird, but that's fine because I'm not going to be sparring this or next week. That's fine,'" Dawson shared.
Although the rule left KGD a little confused, he paid little mind to the incident, getting in his mitts training and wrestling drills with his training partner. However, even drilling seemed to take it a step too far for the training facility, which quickly chimed in.
"They come up, and they're like, hey, hey, we said no sparring. And I was like, we're not. We're just drilling, like wrestling. So he's like, no, we meant you guys can't train together. You can hit the bag."
That undoubtedly became the final straw on the camel's back. Fortunately, Dawson didn't have to pay for that day's gym pass either, perhaps adding some relief to an already awkward encounter.
While the fight week had already proved challenging, the weekend had much worse in store for the UFC star.
Illegal Strikes Kick Off UFC 333 Lightweight Contest
Grant Dawson ultimately clinched a unanimous decision victory in his Oct. 24 bout against Nurullo Aliev. However, the fight began in a rather turbulent fashion for the American challenger, with Aliev cornering him against the cage early in the opening round.
Blasting shots from there, Dawson remembered a clean shot that floored him. Another near knockdown from the Tajik had KGD in desperate measures, as he shot for a takedown. That's where the momentum shifted, with the 'Tajik Eagle' throwing illegal back-of-the-head strikes.
Referee Marc Goddard wasted no time in intervening in the exchange, deducting a point from Aliev's scorecards straight away without a second warning. Dawson recovered from the aggressive start to the matchup, piling up takedowns and ground control time of his own in the final two rounds.
Eventually, all three judges scored 29-27 in favor of the American, resulting in a positive end to a fight week that had been anything but considerate to the fighter.
