Lightweights Grant Dawson and Manuel Torres wrapped up the UFC 323 preliminaries on Saturday.
After a three-fight win streak, Dawson had found weight at 155 pounds in late 2010 after a brief run at featherweight. Torres, meanwhile, picked up a win against Drew Dober.
Dawson came in from too far out almost immediately, a rather sloppy effort that wasn’t worth it. Torres worked with his hands and his kicks, hitting some heavy swings with the latter. Torres pushed his way in to close the distance, forcing Dawson to retreat more than once.
Despite that success, Torres took a patient approach, and it paid off in the short term. Dawson missed his own attack and Torres countered. About four punches landed as Dawson moved and was off balance. A left hand did most of the damage and dropped Grant Dawson. Torres jumped up and landed hammerfist after hammerfist as Dawson covered up. That was enough for the referee to call it, giving Manuel Torres his second win in a row, and a fifth-place finish in six UFC fights.
In 17 career wins, Torres has 16 first-round stoppages, a statistic that Joe Rogan highlighted in Torres’ post-fight interview on Saturday. “I’m so happy. I’m happy with this opportunity,” said Torres, thanking his team and fans.
Official result: Manuel Torres defeated. Grant Dawson by TKO, round 1, 2:25
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