Sunday Recap: Dawson vs Green
Bobby Green did what?
Don’t count out Bobby Green. That’s the main takeaway from last night after he knocked out overwhelming favorite Grant Dawson in just THIRTY-THREE seconds. I don’t know if he shook Tom Brady’s hand before the fight or what, but he took the Grant Dawson hype personally and put it on ice.
I’ve been a harsh critic of Bobby Green over the years because he gets a lot of love for someone who has never truly been a legit contender. What he’s done in the past few years is impressive, so allow this intro to serve as a Bobby Green apology.
First, lightweight is the toughest division in the sport, and Bobby Green has fought an awful lot of top lightweights hence his positive reputation amongst most fans. But if you look closer at Green’s activity since 2021, he had a close decision loss against the highly regarded Rafael Fiziev, a knockout win over Al Iaquinta, a win over Nasrat Haqparast, a loss against champ Islam Makhachev, a KO loss to Drew Dober in a fight he was winning, a submission win over Tony Ferguson, and now last night’s knockout over Grant Dawson.
That’s three finishes over ranked opponents, with the knockout over Dawson being his biggest win yet. Green should see a number next to his name in the lightweight rankings, and I’d like to see him take on another big name next. Matt Frevola anyone?
Let’s go over the rest of the results from Saturday and discuss what’s next.
Algeo vs Hernandez
I had a rough week of picks. I was especially rude to Bill Algeo, who I called a poor man’s Billy Q. Algeo responded by putting on his best performance yet inside the octagon. Utilizing his length, cardio, and a great chin, Algeo pieced his strikes together and out-landed Hernandez 110-75 on significant strikes, scoring a knockdown in an unanimous decision victory.
For Hernandez, this marks another loss in what has been an underwhelming career after he burst onto the scene as a potential top prospect. An interesting note is that Hernandez is now 0-2 at featherweight. I think it’s obvious that he looks worse at featherweight than lightweight and may be draining himself to make 145.
I’d be interested in seeing Bill Algeo take on UFC veteran Andre Fili next. For Hernandez, I’d like to see him back up at lightweight.
Dober vs Glenn
This was one of two fights on the card I predicted correctly. Drew Dober made it look easy against Rick Glenn, scoring a first round knockout to return to the win column. Dober is always a pleasure to watch and has been shifting in and out of the top fifteen for the past few years. This win could likely get him another ranked opponent, but I have someone else in mind.
Joel Alvarez vs Drew Dober would be a vicious scrap, and I’d love to see it next.
For Rick Glenn, we spoke earlier in the week about how bad he’s looked since sustaining some serious injuries. He didn’t show much on Saturday, and it’s tough to see him turning it around at this juncture of his UFC tenure.
Buckley vs Morono
Morono didn’t come through in what would have been a massive victory for the Dad Body Army, but what I found most shocking was that he lost a decision. I said Buckley would need a knockout to take this one, and he out struck and out grappled Morono.
It’s been nice to see Buckley transition from a viral knockout fighter to a 2-0 welterweight who seems to be getting better each fight. He’s clearly taking his nutrition and conditioning seriously, and the sky is the limit for an athlete with his physical attributes. Seeing him win a fight against a game opponent without relying on his power should be a wakeup call to the rest of the division.
For the f of it, I nominate Buckley vs Khaos Williams next. Buckley asked for a main event slot, and I think this one has fun written all over it.
I’d like to see Morono take on Phil Rowe.
Pyfer vs Alhassan
Joe Pyfer is a beast. He was wrestling like a man possessed, almost blast doubling Alhassan through the octagon en route to a submission victory.
Hopefully the UFC offers Pyfer an attractive contract because I’d love to see him start fighting premiere talent. It’s still early, but if Pyfer puts together a couple more wins he’ll be considered a bright prospect in a middleweight division that lacks depth. For now, a fight against Edmen Shahbazyan would be interesting to see.
Alhassan vs Gerald Meerschaert sounds about right.
Dawson vs Green
I already rambled about Bobby Green, and there’s really not much more to say. This one ended super early, and given Dawson’s tremendous success prior to this setback there’s not much to take from it. He got caught early against a savvy striker and will have to go back to the drawing board. I’d like to see him try to rebound against Renato Moicano.
P4P Rankings
Alexander Volkanovski
Jon Jones
Islam Makhachev
Leon Edwards
Charles Oliveira
Kamaru Usman
Max Holloway
Sean O’Malley
Sean Strickland
Alex Pereira
Alexandre Pantoja
Israel Adesanya
Dricus Du Plessis
Aljamain Sterling
Justin Gaethje
Signing Off
Two weeks away from UFC 294!
