UFC Vegas 80: Dawson vs. Green Odds, Schedule, Predictions
Grant Dawson will get the opportunity to shine as a main eventer for the first time in his UFC career in a lightweight fight with Bobby Green to close out UFC Vegas 80 from the UFC's Apex Facility.
Dawson has quietly put together an 8-0-1 record since signing with the UFC out of Dana White's Contender Series. He has earned a reputation as a dangerous submission artist, he's drawn a tap in four of his nine fights under the UFC banner.
Bobby Green is a much more well-known commodity and he has scraps with several big names to show for it. Coming off a win over Tony Ferguson he'll hope to generate some momentum of his own.
The card features a few more fighters looking to stake a claim at bigger and better things to come. Joe Pyfer meets Abdul Razak Alhassan in the co-main event while Joaquin Buckley and Alex Morono meet in a welterweight clash.
Here's a look at the complete card with odds and a closer look at the biggest fights on the card.
Fight Card, Schedule and Odds
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Main Card (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
- Grant Dawson (-455) vs. Bobby Green (+350)
- Abdul Razak Alhassan (+300) vs. Joe Pyfer (-380)
- Joaquin Buckley (-180) vs. Alex Morono (+150)
- Drew Dober (-410) vs. Ricky Glenn (+320)
- Bill Algeo (-102) vs. Alexander Hernandez (-118)
Prelims (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)
- Ion Cutelaba (-135) vs. Philipe Lins (+114)
- Diana Belbita (+124) vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (-148)
- Nate Maness (+195) vs. Mateus Mendonca (-238)
- Vanessa Demopoulos (+250) vs. Kanako Murata (-310)
- Johnny Munoz (-112) vs. Aori Qileng (-108)
- JJ Aldrich (+124) vs. Montana De La Rosa (-148)
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Dawson vs. Green
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Grant Dawson is the heavy favorite here, but Bobby Green is still going to be one of the stiffest tests that he faces in his career. Green is a veteran with plenty of losses, but he also has plus power for a lightweight and has only been finished six times in his lengthy career.
He's also going to have some confidence on the ground. He's coming off a submission win over Tony Ferguson in which he tapped El Cucuy with an arm-triangle choke. However, his two previous fights that didn't end in a No Contest before that were knockout losses to Drew Dober and Islam Makhachev.
Dawson has a volume-based grappling game and is a relentless takedown hunter. Green is known for his stand up but his wrestling isn't awful. He's going to make him work for those takedowns and he's only been submitted twice in his career.
What you make of this one really depends on how you see Dawson. If he's a product of weak competition then Green could pull off the upset or at least make things really difficult.
If you believe he's the real deal then this will be light work.
The truth is probably somewhere in between.
Prediction: Dawson via third-round submission
Alhassan vs. Pyfer
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The co-main event has a similar setup to the finale. In this case, Joe Pyfer is the fighter whose stock is on the rise with a 2-0 record in the UFC that includes a first-round knockout over Geral Meershaert in his last fight.
Abdul Razak Alhassan—like Bobby Green—is well into his 30's at 38 years old. He's had some struggles with weight in the past and returned to middleweight where he has won two of his last three fights.
Alhassan is always dangerous because he has impressive one-punch knockout power. Eleven of his 12 career wins have come by first-round knockout and he will once again be dangerous in the first five minutes.
However, his record in bouts that go beyond the first round sits at 1-4 with a second-round knockout over Claudio Ribeiro in his last outing as the only win.
This will be really interesting in the first round as Pyfer might have to be defensive to make sure he avoids Alhassan's early aggression. But once this thing gets into the second round it won't be surprising to see Pyfer completely take over.
Prediction: Pyfer via unanimous decision
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Buckley vs. Morono
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The lead-in to the co-main event might be the most fun fight of the night. Joaquin Buckley is a hyper-athletic striker who hasn't been consistent enough to be ranked but has great highlights.
Morono—on the other hand—is fairly consistent but just doesn't have the ceiling of a contender. He is 5-1 in his last six fights, but with the only loss coming in a catchweight bout against Santiago Ponzinibbio. The only finishes in those five fights came against time Means, by submission, and a first-round TKO win over Donald Cerrone.
Cerrone is probably the most impressive win on his resume, but that wasn't even against a prime Cowboy. Morono has become something of a gatekeeper so this will be a good test for Buckley.
It's hard to predict a Buckley fight because his offense is so sporadic. However, he's the pick here because of his explosiveness and the confidence it should give him when he wins the early exchanges.
Prediction: Buckley via second-round TKO
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