5 under-the-radar UFC fights to look forward to in October

#4. Grant Dawson vs. Rick Glenn – UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori

Grant Dawson is quietly on one of the best win streaks in the UFC

The UFC’s lightweight division is widely renowned as one of the most stacked that the promotion has to offer. That means that plenty of highly talented fighters continually go unnoticed by fans.

Right now, Grant Dawson is absolutely one of those fighters. ‘KGD’ has been in the UFC now for the best part of three years following a win on Dana White’s Contender Series. Thus far into his career he’s made just one appearance on a main card.

Despite that, Dawson has quietly put together a genuinely excellent run in the octagon. He’s 5-0 with his most recent win coming over Leonardo Santos, who to that point was 7-0 in the UFC.

Overall, ‘KGD’ has an outstanding record of 18-1, with just two of his victories going the distance. Essentially, he has everything it takes to be a genuine contender at 155lbs.

This month sees him face off against a tricky opponent in Rick Glenn, a longtime UFC veteran with over a decade of MMA experience and an octagon record of 4-3.

‘The Gladiator’ hadn’t fought in nearly three years when he returned this June. He looked better than ever when he landed a first round knockout on Joaquim Silva.

This fight is fascinating because it should be the first time that Dawson falls under the real spotlight. He is against an opponent that he ought to beat if he’s ever going to climb to the top.

If ‘KGD’ can pull it off, he could well develop into an unlikely title contender in 2022 – meaning fans should be keeping a close eye on this clash for sure.

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#3. Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori – UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori

Paulo Costa remains one of the best middleweight fighters in the UFC

A middleweight clash between Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori is set to headline the UFC Fight Night card on October 23rd. Despite its main event status, this fight is somehow going largely ignored.

In one way, it’s almost understandable. After all, both men fell to UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in their most recent fights, and neither really came close to dethroning ‘The Last Stylebender’.

This, of course, means that neither man can really hope to move back into title contention as long as Adesanya holds the title. However, that doesn’t make this a bad fight. In fact, if anything, it’s a truly fantastic fight between two of the best 185lbers on the planet.

Of the two, Costa has a slightly bigger reputation. Prior to facing Adesanya, ‘The Eraser’ had basically destroyed every fighter who stepped in front of him. He became the first man in the UFC to truly hurt Yoel Romero, coming close to finishing the Cuban.

After his loss to Adesanya, it’s safe to say there are questions around his durability and heart, and Vettori has the potential to test both. A strong fighter in all areas, ‘The Italian Dream’ will look to push the pace and break Costa down the stretch.

This one should be a tough fight to call. Judging by Costa’s previous octagon appearances in particular, it should be exciting too. If there’s a UFC Fight Night fans shouldn’t miss this month, it’s this one.