Grant Dawson Ends Nurullo Aliev's Unbeaten Run at UFC 333 as Tajik Fighter Leaves in Wheelchair

Three 29-27 Cards End Aliev's Perfect Record

Grant Dawson defeated Nurullo Aliev by unanimous decision at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, with all three judges scoring the lightweight bout 29-27. Aliev, the first fighter from Tajikistan to compete in the UFC, suffered his first professional defeat and needed a wheelchair to leave after injuring his left leg.

The result moved Dawson to 25 wins, three losses and one draw in professional mixed martial arts, including a UFC record of 13-2-1. Aliev fell to 12-1 as a professional and 4-1 in the promotion. His promising opening round gave way to a point deduction, sustained pressure from Dawson and increasing difficulty moving.

The UFC preliminary results described Dawson as combining improved striking with his established grappling skills to secure a second consecutive victory. He remained just outside the lightweight division's Top 15 after the win.

Aliev's health became an immediate concern. Sports journalist Igor Lazorin reported a serious thigh injury on October 24, 2026. No medical diagnosis, treatment plan or recovery timetable was available at the time of that report.

Aliev's Fast Start Put Dawson Under Pressure

Aliev entered with 12 victories from 12 professional fights, including four UFC wins. Dawson brought substantially more experience in the promotion: 15 previous UFC appearances and four victories in his preceding five bouts.

The younger UFC competitor made the stronger opening impression. Aliev advanced behind punches, forced Dawson toward the fence and stopped early wrestling attempts. When Dawson tried to change the fight by taking him down, Aliev reversed the position and worked from above.

A powerful left hand then badly troubled Dawson. Aliev followed him toward the canvas and threw more punches, creating the most dangerous early passage for the American. The opportunity changed abruptly when referee Marc Goddard intervened over illegal blows to the back of Dawson's head.

A Point Deduction Changed the Opening Round

Goddard stopped the action and deducted one point from Aliev for strikes to the back of the head. Those blows are prohibited, and the penalty reduced Aliev's score independently of how the judges assessed his fighting during the round.

The interruption also broke the pace of Aliev's attack. After the restart, Dawson landed kicks and punches, completed a late takedown and threatened a guillotine choke as the round ended. A guillotine is a submission hold in which a fighter wraps an arm around an opponent's neck while facing him.

The opening round's statistics show how competitive it was. Aliev landed 33 significant strikes to Dawson's 32 and recorded one minute and 20 seconds of control, compared with Dawson's 41 seconds. Both completed one takedown, although Dawson needed three attempts and Aliev succeeded with his only attempt.

The point deduction helps explain the eventual 29-27 totals. A round that would otherwise be scored 10-9 for Aliev becomes 9-9 after the penalty. Two subsequent 10-9 rounds for Dawson produce a 29-27 result. Ringside round assessments followed that pattern, while the published official result lists matching final totals from all three judges.

Dawson Took Command in the Second Round

Dawson shifted the fight toward the wrestling exchanges that have made him a difficult lightweight opponent. Aliev still pressed forward at the beginning of the second round, but Dawson increasingly connected with punches and kicks before bringing the contest to the ground.

Against the fence, Dawson trapped Aliev's legs and kept his upper body under pressure. He moved into half guard, a position in which the fighter underneath controls one of the top fighter's legs, and struck with short punches and elbows. Aliev recovered guard, using his legs around Dawson to restrict his movement, but struggled to escape sustained pressure.

Aliev eventually stood and attempted a takedown of his own. Dawson stopped it and continued attacking before the bell. The round ended with Dawson having completed both of his takedown attempts and accumulated two minutes and 35 seconds of control.

Aliev managed only three seconds of control in the same round. His significant strike total dropped from 33 in the first round to 18 in the second, while Dawson landed 33. The fight had moved from an opening exchange in which Aliev threatened a finish to a contest increasingly fought on Dawson's terms.

An Injured Leg Complicated the Final Round

Aliev injured his left leg during the contest and returned for the final round limping. Lazorin's subsequent account identified the injury as involving the thigh and described it as serious. Aliev required medical assistance and a wheelchair after the bout.

Dawson attacked with low kicks as Aliev tried to move forward in the third round. Aliev still landed left hands, but his movements became labored and Dawson repeatedly brought him into wrestling exchanges. Those exchanges demanded balance, leg strength and the ability to change direction quickly.

Dawson completed two more takedowns and finished the fight in full mount, sitting above Aliev's torso with a leg on either side. From there, he could strike downward while forcing Aliev to spend his remaining time defending and trying to escape.

The final round lasted the full five minutes. Dawson recorded three minutes and two seconds of control, leaving Aliev little time to build the sustained attack he needed. The injury added a medical concern to the loss of his unbeaten record.

The Numbers Show How the Fight Turned

The official fight statistics record five successful takedowns from seven attempts for Dawson, compared with one from two for Aliev. Dawson also accumulated six minutes and 18 seconds of control, against Aliev's one minute and 26 seconds.

Across a fight lasting 15 minutes, Dawson's control amounted to 42% of the contest. Aliev's was about 10%. Dawson's control total was more than four times Aliev's, with most of that advantage built in the final two rounds.

Aliev landed a higher proportion of his significant strikes: 65 from 106 attempts, or 61%. Dawson landed 95 from 188, or 50%. Dawson nevertheless connected with 30 more significant strikes because he attempted substantially more.

The location of those strikes adds another part of the explanation. Dawson landed 16 significant strikes on the ground; Aliev recorded none in that statistical category. Counting all strikes, including shorter blows outside the significant strike category, Dawson led 147 to 96.

Dawson's wrestling also became more reliable as the bout progressed. He completed one of three takedown attempts in the opening round, then all four attempts across rounds two and three. Aliev's early defensive success became harder to sustain as the fight continued.

How the Three Rounds Unfolded

The contest changed direction within the opening five minutes, then settled into a pattern of Dawson combining strikes with takedowns. The decisive stages were:

• Round 1: Aliev hurt Dawson with punches, but Goddard deducted a point for blows to the back of the head. Dawson recovered, secured a late takedown and attempted a guillotine choke.
• Round 2: Dawson completed two takedowns, landed punches and elbows from above and controlled Aliev for two minutes and 35 seconds.
• Round 3: Aliev continued despite an injured left leg. Dawson completed another two takedowns, reached full mount and controlled more than three minutes of the round.
• After the final bell: All three judges awarded Dawson a 29-27 victory. Aliev needed a wheelchair to leave.

The UFC official scorecards confirm the unanimous outcome. Judges Tolly Plested, Jacob Montalvo and Clemens Werner each returned the same total for Dawson.

Dawson Moves Closer to Ranked Opposition

Dawson's 25th professional victory strengthened his position near the lightweight rankings. The UFC's assessment placed him just outside the Top 15, making the win over an unbeaten opponent useful as he seeks another step toward ranked competition.

His performance required a recovery as well as his familiar wrestling strengths. Aliev had him in serious trouble early, yet Dawson was able to return to effective striking, establish takedowns and maintain pressure through the final bell.

Dawson said afterward that he had a daughter on the way and dedicated the victory to his family and religion. His second consecutive win gave that personal moment a sporting milestone: the end of an opponent's perfect professional record.

Aliev leaves Abu Dhabi with a different task. His opening attack showed that he could threaten an experienced UFC lightweight, but the bout also exposed difficulties escaping Dawson's control once the American began completing takedowns consistently. His immediate priority is the injured leg, followed by preparing to compete again after his first defeat.

A Preliminary Bout With Lasting Consequences

Dawson and Aliev fought on the preliminary portion of UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The event was headed by the scheduled featherweight title contest between champion Alexander Volkanovski and unbeaten challenger Movsar Evloev.

For Tajikistan's first UFC fighter, the preliminary bout carried substantial consequences of its own. Aliev arrived with an unbroken winning record and four UFC victories. He left with a first defeat, a point deduction that affected the scoring and an injury requiring assistance after the fight.

Dawson emerged with a stronger case for tougher opposition. His route to victory was concrete: survive Aliev's opening surge, increase his striking output and complete four takedowns without a failed attempt over the last two rounds.

Key Points

• Grant Dawson defeated Nurullo Aliev by unanimous decision at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, with all three judges scoring it 29-27.
• Dawson improved to 25-3-1 professionally and 13-2-1 in the UFC. Aliev dropped to 12-1 and 4-1 respectively.
• Referee Marc Goddard deducted one point from Aliev for strikes to the back of Dawson's head in the first round.
• Dawson completed five of seven takedowns and recorded six minutes and 18 seconds of control.
• Aliev injured his left leg and left in a wheelchair. A serious thigh injury was reported, with no diagnosis or recovery timetable available at publication.