Grant Dawson takes umbrage with Michael Chandler being in UFC lightweight rankings

Grant Dawson wants to see a shakeup in the UFC lightweight rankings.

With just one loss in 12 octagon appearances, Dawson (22-2-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) is not currently ranked at 155 pounds. His first UFC loss was a 33-second knockout to Bobby Green in October 2023, but he has since bounced back with back-to-back wins.

Dawkson is irked by the presence of the likes of Michael Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC), whom he doesn’t see as worthy of a spot in the standings. Chandler’s two UFC wins came over Dan Hooker and the skidding Tony Ferguson.

“I definitely think there are people that do not belong in the top 15, let alone the top 10,” Dawson told Inside Fighting. “If you look at someone like Michael Chandler, he’s 2-4 in the UFC. So you put his record up against my record. I’m 11-1 in the UFC, assuming I beat Diego Ferreira, 11-1 in the UFC compared to 2-4 in the UFC.

“And you say, ‘Yeah, the 11-1 guy not ranked. The 2-4 guy ranked in the top 10, top seven.’ It doesn’t make any sense. And then you’ve got these guys that, they’re not looking to fight the up and comers. They need to take Michael Chandler out of there. If Beneil Dariush loses (to Moicano), he said that he’s probably going to be done if he loses. As soon as that fight is over, assuming he loses, get him out of there.”

Dawson will look to enter the lightweight rankings when he takes on Diego Ferreira (19-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) Jan. 18 at UFC 311 from Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., and airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.