Alexander Pantoja will also look to defend his flyweight belt for the fifth time in the night\u2019s co-main event when he meets Joshua Van, and the bout announcements for UFC 323 are now coming at a rapid-fire pace following White\u2019s announcement of the card’s two title fights. <\/p>\n
First reported by Marcel Dorff<\/a>, the lightweight matchup between Dawson and Torres will see \u201cKGD\u201d attempt to defend his #14 ranking and extend his current three-fight win streak.<\/p>\n READ MORE: UFC Hall of Famer thanks fans after emotional MMA retirement sendoff at UFC Ro<\/a><\/p>\n A contract winner on Dana White\u2019s Contender Series<\/a> in 2017, Dawson went unbeaten through his first nine Octagon appearances before being knocked out by King Green in just 33 seconds during a UFC Fight Night main event in 2023.<\/p>\n Grant Dawson (red gloves) fights Diego Ferreira (blue gloves) during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. \/ Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/p>\n After taking some time off, Dawson returned at UFC 302 and took a unanimous decision over Joe Solecki. The 31-year-old followed that up by stopping Rafa Garcia with ground strikes, and in his most recent outing he bested Diego Ferreira at UFC 311 and made his return to the UFC\u2019s lightweight Top 15.<\/p>\n Dawson\u2019s wrestling skills will likely need to be on full display at UFC 323, as he\u2019ll be facing a fighter in Torres that has won four out of his last six fights by knockout dating back to his own contract-winning performance on DWCS in 2021.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Massive UFC 322 fight could decide who faces Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev winner<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cEl Loco\u201d also boasts a number of wins via submission, and he showcased his skills on the mat when he submitted Chris Duncan in less than two minutes in early 2024 after he knocked out Frank Camacho and Nikolas Motta in his first two UFC appearances.<\/p>\n Manuel Torres of Mexico (red gloves) fights Ignacio Bahamondes of Chile (blue gloves) during Riyadh Season Noche UFC 306 at The Sphere. \/ Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Torres\u2019 winning run came to an end when he was knocked out by Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC 306, but he rebounded by stopping Drew Dober<\/a> in March and will look to earn yet another \u201cPerformance of the Night\u201d bonus when he and Dawson meet on a UFC 323 card that currently looks like this.<\/p>\n \u2022\tMain Event: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan \u2013 For the UFC Bantamweight Championship<\/p>\n \u2022\tCo-Main Event: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van \u2013 For the UFC Flyweight Championship<\/p>\n \u2022\tMaycee Barber vs. Karine Silva<\/p>\n \u2022\tHenry Cejudo vs. Payton Talbott<\/p>\n \u2022\tJan Blachowciz vs. Bogdan Guskov<\/p>\n \u2022\tGrant Dawson vs. Manuel Torres<\/p>\n \u2022\tMansur Abdul-Malik vs. Antonio Trocoli<\/p>\n \u2022\tFares Ziam vs. Nazim Saykhov<\/p>\n \u2022\tBrandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira<\/p>\n \u2022\tTerrance McKinney vs. Chris Duncan<\/p>\n \u2022 Brazilian soccer legend asks for photo with UFC star Charles Oliveira after UFC Rio<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Ex-UFC star Dustin Poirier shares heartbreaking admission about MMA retirement<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Merab Dvalishvili drops warning to ex-UFC flyweight champ for UFC title fight<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 UFC Rio crowd goes wild as heavyweight fighter scores violent faceplant KO<\/a><\/p>\n Stick with MMAKnockout<\/a> for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.<\/p>\n Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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