Grant Dawson lays out path to UFC title: Stop Damir Ismagulov in July, then beat Justin Gaethje

Grant Dawson has his road to the UFC lightweight belt mapped out – and he’s off to a good start.

Entering 2023 on an 11-fight unbeaten streak, which includes seven wins in the UFC, Dawson (19-1-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC) believes he’s just two good wins away from the ultimate goal. And it all starts on July 1 when he takes on ranked lightweight Damir Ismagulov at UFC on ESPN 48.

“I’m super happy about it,” Dawson told MMA Junkie regarding his matchup against Ismagulov. “He’s ranked No. 12 in the world, and I think that it’s one of those fights where the winner gets propelled into the top seven.

“I think a win over him, I’m looking at fighting Justin Gaethje next, and hopefully after that a title fight. It’s one of those situations where this fight happens, I win this fight, and my dream is coming true right around the corner.”

Dawson said he knows he can’t just get by Ismagulov in order to get a big name like Gaethje. That’s why he plans on making a statement in becoming the first man to stop the Russian in his 26-fight career.

“I think I’m going to be the first person to finish Ismagulov in the octagon,” Dawson said. “I think that he’s a very good fighter, he’s a very technical fighter, he’s a very skilled fighter, and he is tough as nails. However, I think stylistically, I’m just a very bad matchup for him and I think I’m going to be the first person that finishes him.”

Often times, fighters are hesitant to call out names and much less lay out their path to the title in a public manner. However, Dawson hasn’t had an issue trying to pick fights in the UFC, and he doesn’t understand why many fighters don’t do the same.

“It’s kind of weird for people to only do it step by step,” Dawson said. “I think it’s weird to not think about the future, not think about, ‘Oh, once I win this fight, what comes next?.’

“Obviously, I’m always ready to adapt, so if something goes wrong or something happens or there’s an opponent change, I’m ready to adapt. But it’s fun to think about, ‘I do this, this is what’s going to happen, and then I reach my goal.’ The end goal is always to be a world champion.”