Grant Dawson's Perspective on Teammate Matchups: Balancing Friendship and Competition

Grant Dawson Sympathizes with Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili.

Grant Dawson, an emerging name in the MMA world, acknowledges the delicate balance between friendship and competition within the sport. While he hasn't faced the same level of pressure as his teammates Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili, who have refrained from fighting each other due to their close bond, Dawson foresees potential challenges ahead.

Currently training with five American Top Team (ATT) gymmates in the UFC's top 15 lightweight rankings, Dawson recognizes the privilege of being surrounded by elite fighters. However, this scenario also raises the prospect of future conflicts when it comes to choosing opponents.

In his own words, "You might have to fight some of them someday." Dustin Poirier, Mateusz Gamrot, Arman Tsarukyan, and Renato Moicano share the gym with Dawson, and he continues to support their success, even if it means potential matchups against them.

Dawson's stance is clear regarding certain teammates like Poirier and Moicano, whom he would never consider fighting. While he isn't eager to face Gamrot or Tsarukyan either, he believes lightweight offers numerous opponents, allowing him to avoid clashes with friends and training partners.

His perspective aligns with the idea that there are fights he would accept under specific circumstances, primarily when titles and rewards are at stake, but there are also boundaries he won't cross due to the value of his friendships.

Dawson hopes to avoid the dilemmas faced by fighters like Sterling and Dvalishvili, emphasizing that the right choice may vary for each athlete. While other gyms rarely encounter this issue, Dawson recognizes that ATT's wealth of talent at the top level creates unique challenges.

For now, Dawson remains focused on navigating through these complexities, striving to maintain the bonds of friendship while advancing his career in the competitive world of MMA.