Switching Up: A Tale of Predictions for Two Lightweights
Grant Dawson or ‘KGD’ will face a fighter whose switch stance mirrors his own in the form of Manuel Torres or ‘El Loco’. The arena these fighters will meet at is none other than UFC 323, where title fights and legendary finishes will be in plentiful supply! The ‘KGD’ does have more fights under his belt, while ‘El Loco’ has less experience in the cage. Furthermore, Dawson has more takedowns on average than Torres. This will make him a dangerous threat should ‘El Loco’ have a close call by falling into ‘KGD’s’ reach. Morale-wise, the older fighter is coming off a three-fight win streak. These facts point toward a possible victory for Dawson.
Surprisingly, ‘El Loco’ seems to have more on his statistical pro column than his opponent, who is favored to win. The biggest advantage is that the younger fighter is stronger defensively in both standing and ground encounters. This should let him survive the rounds with Dawson if he starts to gain the upper hand with his established strikes landed per minute. This barrage that he could deal out to Dawson is what landed his last victory against Drew Dober in a solid KO/TKO. The past wins Torres has had have even culminated in his average fight time being significantly shorter than Dawson's. Also, he is prone to being more accurate than ‘KGD’ on average, with his strikes creating a need for Dawson to shore up his defense.
The crux of everything for Torres to win will be taking on one key aspect of his fighting profile and reversing its nature. This is, in fact, the chance to absorb fewer strikes per minute. Dawson has this ability well-versed, and it may be part of the reason why he is predicted to win. Dawson will undoubtedly capitalize on this and avoid the hits that Torres seeks to land on both the ground and while standing. The fight could go to a decision, but both fighters have a habit of ending their fights in submission or KO/TKO. If it goes to this UFC 323 may even have a fight better than the title fights, Dawson vs. Torres precedes!
