Grant Dawson Targets Future Showdown with Jalin Turner

Rather than seeking a rematch, Grant Dawson is looking to get over his loss against Bobby Green by beating an opponent that recently beat “King.”

Dawson bounced back from a knockout loss against Green with a dominant unanimous decision win over Joe Solecki at UFC 302 on Saturday. Dawson then called out Jalin Turner, who knocked out Green in December 2023.

“I want get back into the Top 15 by the end of this year, so I’d like to fight Jalin Turner,” Dawson said during a post-fight media scrum. “I don’t think Jalin Turner is gonna want to fight me, especially after a performance like that… He beat the guy that beat me. And there’s an easy way to get over Bobby without actually having to fight Bobby again, is beat the guy that beat him.”

Dawson was a considerable favorite going into the first UFC headliner of his career against Green in October 2023. Green knocked out Dawson in 33 seconds at UFC Fight Night 229, handing “KGD” the first loss of his UFC career. Dawson believes he could have outwrestled Green like he did Solecki on Saturday night. But instead of making excuses for his loss, Dawson admits Green just outclassed him in a game of inches.

“I think I could have done that to Bobby,” Dawson said. “Everybody asked me, ‘Hey, was it the pressure? Did Bobby get into your head?’ None of that’s true. I wish I could tell you I had a bad weight cut for that fight. I wish I could tell you that something… Dude I made a read, he made a read. His was right, mine was wrong. This is a game of inches. So we came out here, and we wanted to make sure that we’re super sharp as we could be and take the fight where it’s the easiest.”

Dawson is currently 9-1-1 in the UFC, a record which includes five finishes. Turner is fresh off a TKO loss against Renato Carneiro from UFC 300 in April and 1-3 in his last four. Meanwhile, Green is slated to take on Paddy Pimblett at UFC 304 on July 27 in Manchester.