After 17 weeks of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, the promotion went on a rare break last week; however, the world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) league is this weekend (Sat., Oct. 7, 2023) for UFC Vegas 80 from inside its Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event, surging Top 15-ranked Lightweight prospect, Grant Dawson, takes on Octagon veteran, Bobby Green.
While UFC Vegas 80 isn’t stacked with much name value, there are several fun matchups up and down the card. So, before it goes down on ESPN+, let’s check out some random storylines, tidbits and statistics ahead of showtime …
Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Main Event Noob
Dawson competes in his first UFC main event this weekend. “KGD” has been all but perfect in UFC thus far, with eight wins and one draw (five finishes). The 29-year-old is among the most underrated top fighters in the Lightweight division and will look to make a name for himself by knocking off a UFC fan favorite.
King Vs. Future King?
Back when Dawson was looking for a nickname when he was on the come up, he wanted to go by “King” Grant Dawson; however, there was a problem: Bobby “King” Green already secured it. So, Dawson went with an abbreviated version of it: “KGD.” Dawson has a plan, though, telling MMAMania.com at UFC Vegas 80 media day (watch here) that he will take the “King” nickname once he becomes champion.
Full Circle
One last thing about Dawson. At UFC Vegas 41 back in 2021, Dawson suffered his only UFC setback — a draw against Ricky Glenn, during which he gassed out and almost lost the bout. After the fight, he switched camps from Glory MMA to American Top Team. Well, Glenn fights this weekend, where Dawson headlines his fight card … full circle.
Main Event Redemption
Green competes in only his second UFC headliner this weekend, where he is looking for redemption. The 22-fight Octagon veteran lost his first main event to current division champion, Islam Makhachev, at UFC Vegas 49 earlier this year via first round submission (watch highlights). “King” is coming off a submission win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 291 and will look to rebound and pick up his first main-event win.
Be Joe Pyfer
Joe Pyfer competes in the co-main event this weekend against fellow knockout artist, Abdul Razak Alhassan, after only two fights in UFC. There is no doubt Pyfer has a little rocket strapped to his back after his Contender Series appearance on season six. He was the only finish on that episode, and UFC CEO, Dana White, coined the phrase, “Be Joe Pyfer.” While his first fight was an absolute layup, he proved himself against Gerald Meerschaert (watch highlights).
Moneybagz
During UFC Vegas 80 media day, Pyfer revealed that he is interested in fighting Top 15-ranked opponents until he gets paid “real money” for financial security. He did admit he is not complaining about what he gets paid because of who he is fighting, but when the time comes, he wants to be “Moneybagz” instead of “Bodybagz.”
Banger Of The Week
Several options exist for this week’s “Banger of the Week,” but the one that jumps off the card is Pyfer vs. Alhassan.
Alhassan (12-5) holds a 100 percent finish rate with 12 knockouts, and all but one of those finishes have come in the first round. Indeed, he comes to finish his opponents as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Pyfer (11-2) holds a 91 percent finish rate with eight knockouts and two submissions.
Don’t blink!
Daddy Dober
Drew Dober is now the father of a beautiful baby girl, and it is time to see if being a dad catapults him to a new level. Daddy Dober — who is coming off his first knockout loss in UFC against Matt Frevola at UFC 288 (watch highlights) — could become a mythical fighter, but he has to first get through Ricky Glenn tomorrow.
Welcome Back, Kanako Murata
Kanako Murata returns to action at UFC Vegas 80 after a 26-month layoff. In her last outing, she suffered a dislocated elbow against Virna Jandiroba at UFC Vegas 25. Murata is currently 1-1 in UFC and is a former Invicta Strawweight champion with a ton of promise when she entered the promotion.
The Japanese fighter returns against Vanessa Demopoulos.
Vegas Vanessa
Speaking of Demopoulos, she is now fighting out of Las Vegas. While she has no official camp such as Xtreme Couture or Syndicate MMA, she has been training with Dennis Davis out of Xtreme Couture as her head coach.
Demopoulos has been with several camps over the past few years. At the start of her UFC career, she was training out of Fight Ready, which is located in Arizona, but after some forces out of her control, she had to leave. “Lil Monster” then moved to the acclaimed gym Factory X in Colorado. After her last loss to Karolina Kowalkiewicz, she packed up her things and moved to “Sin City.” With a new home, coach and mindset, Demopoulos seems to be rejuvenated.
Moving Down
Mateus Mendonca moves down to Flyweight for the first time in his 11-fight career. The exciting Brazilian earned a contract on season six of Contender Series when he flatlined Ashiek Ajim in 48 seconds. Mendonca was unsuccessful in his UFC debut when he lost a unanimous decision to top prospect, Javid Basharat.
Fighters moving down to Flyweight have not had the best success, so it will be interesting to see how he looks. He faces Nate Maness, who moved to 125 pounds last year, but has gone winless (0-1).
Winners And Losers
Thirteen fighters are coming off wins, while 10 are coming off losses.
Multi-Divisions
Here are the divisions that will be on display this Saturday:
- One Light Heavyweight fight
- One Middleweight fight
- One Welterweight fights
- Two Lightweight fights
- One Featherweight fight
- One Bantamweight fight
- One Flyweight fight
- One Women’s Flyweight fight
- Two Women’s Strawweight fights
Beta Dog
According to DraftKings, the “biggest” underdog at UFC Vegas 80 is Glenn at +330.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 80 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 80: “Dawson vs. Green” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
