Grant DawsonW vs. Nurullo Aliev
UFC 333 · October 24, 2026 · Etihad Arena · Prelims 12:00 PM ET
The brief
- The result
- Grant Dawson by Decision (unanimous), R3
- What kind of fight
- Submission grappler vs. undefeated wrestle-grinder
- Finish likelihood
- Medium
- The line
- Dawson -115 · Aliev -105Consensus
- The stakes
- Lightweight · Prelims
The result
Grant Dawson def. Nurullo Aliev — Decision (unanimous), R3 5:00
Grant Dawson handed previously unbeaten Nurullo Aliev the first loss of his career with a unanimous decision.
Aliev opened aggressively and dropped Dawson with a left hand, but a point was deducted from Aliev for an illegal blow to the back of the head, and Dawson's wrestling took over from there as Aliev faded in the third round.
All three judges had it 29-27 for Dawson.
The breakdown below was written before the fight.
The read
Dawson's grappling pedigree and submission rate make him a live finishing threat against an opponent who has built his unbeaten record by controlling rather than finishing.
If Dawson can get this to the mat and take Aliev's back the way he has so many opponents, his chain-wrestling should find a finish; if Aliev's own wrestling and durability hold up, this likely goes to a decision that tests Dawson's own patience.
The matchup
This pairs a smothering submission grappler against an undefeated decision-grinder who has never needed to finish.
Dawson has 14 of his 24 wins by submission and rebounded from a first-round TKO loss to Manuel Torres by choking out Mateusz Rebecki at UFC 328 in May 2026.
Aliev carries a perfect 12-0 record built almost entirely on the scorecards, with 10 of his 12 wins going to decision behind a wrestling-heavy approach.
Tale of the tape
| 24-3-1 | Record | 12-0 |
| 32 | Age | 25 |
| 5'10" | Height | 5'10" |
| 72" | Reach | 72" |
| Switch | Stance | Orthodox |
| United States | Country | Tajikistan |
| American Top Team | Team | — |
The numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
The fighters
Grant Dawson 24-3-1
“KGD”
Grant 'KGD' Dawson is an American Top Team wrestler who chains takedowns into back control, with fourteen of his twenty-four wins by submission and all three career losses by knockout. He rebounded from a first-round TKO loss to Manuel Torres by choking out Mateusz Rebecki at UFC 328 in May 2026, and now meets an opponent, undefeated at 12-0, in Nurullo Aliev at UFC 333.
- WMateusz Rebecki · Submission (rear-naked choke)UFC 328 · May 9, 2026
- LManuel Torres · TKO (punches)UFC 323 · December 6, 2025
- WCarlos Diego Ferreira · Decision (unanimous)UFC 311 · January 18, 2025
Nurullo Aliev 12-0
“Tajik Eagle”
Nurullo 'Tajik Eagle' Aliev carries a perfect 12-0 record into UFC 333, built on a wrestling-heavy, decision-based game rather than finishes — ten of his twelve wins have gone to the scorecards. The Dushanbe-born lightweight most recently out-wrestled Mike Davis for a unanimous decision at UFC Abu Dhabi in July 2026, and now meets grappling threat Grant Dawson.
Has never lost.
- WMike Davis · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Guskov · July 25, 2026
- WShem Rock · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs. Hooker · November 22, 2025
- WJoe Solecki · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 · January 11, 2025