Grant Dawson vs. Rafa Garcia prediction, pick, start time for UFC Fight Night 244

Grant Dawson and Rafa Garcia meet Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 244 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 3-2
UFC main cards, 2024: 84-74-3

Grant Dawson vs. Rafa Garcia UFC Fight Night 244 preview

Dawson (12-2-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) aims to regain the momentum lost two fights ago when he suffered his first UFC defeat at the hands of Bobby Green. Before that, Dawson went 12 fights without a loss in an impressive stretch. In his first fight of the year, Dawson returned to the win column with a decision win over Joe Solecki in June. … Garcia (16-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) enters his first fight of 2024 and will look to make it three wins in a row. He enters on the heels of a pair of unanimous decision wins against Maheshate and Clay Guida.

Grant Dawson vs. Rafa Garcia UFC Fight Night 244 expert pick, prediction

Filling out the main card is a lightweight attraction between Dawson and Garcia.

Although I feel like this fight will play out closer than the odds indicate, I agree with Dawson being favored to win.

Aside from possessing the statistical advantages that MMA bettors base their mortgage-breaking decisions on, Dawson is the more effective wrestler with a more focused process.

For that reason, I give him the edge against a fighter like Garcia, who is basically your standard wrestler-boxer who lacks strong finishing potency.

I can see Garcia having a solid start or finish to this fight, but I’ll ultimately be siding with Dawson to get it done on the scorecards by decision.

Grant Dawson vs. Rafa Garcia UFC Fight Night 244 odds

The oddsmakers and the public heavily favor the American fighter, listing Dawson -420 and Garcia +310 via FanDuel. 

Grant Dawson vs. Rafa Garcia UFC Fight Night 244 start time, how to watch

Dawson and Garcia are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 8:05 p.m. ET (5:05 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.