The Chatham, Ont. flyweight Matt Dawson (2-1) is aiming to erase his first professional defeat when he squares off against Toronto's Gabe Sagman (6-4) this Saturday at BTC 13, held at the Meridian Centre in downtown St. Catherines, Ont.
Though Dawson has only been active in the professional ranks since 2019, he logged a solid sixteen bouts as an amateur before taking the step up to pro competition.
For Dawson and his corner crew, it was crucial to actually know—not merely hope—that he was ready for the transition.
"My coach made sure I was truly prepared before we took that leap," Dawson told MMA Empire during an interview.
"It wasn't about hitting sixteen fights just for the sake of it. Back in Ontario, there used to be amateur cards running every other weekend, but those dried up over the past few years. Nowadays it's nearly impossible to book an amateur fight in Ontario—you pretty much have to head to Québec."
Yet landing a professional bout hasn't been any easier for Dawson. He pointed to the sparse regional scene as the root cause, especially for men fighting in the lowest weight divisions across Canada.
"Throughout my entire amateur run, I competed at 135, and several of my opponents wanted to do catch-weights, but I naturally walk around at 142 or 143, so 135 never made sense once I moved to the pros," he explained.
"So many guys claim they can make 125, only to miss the cut. That's a brutal weight to reach and survive unless you're already carrying 140 or 145 and you're training alongside the right nutrition plan. Two of my three pro bouts, both of my opponents missed weight."
To top off the string of hurdles, Dawson managed just two fights during his rookie pro season before the coronavirus outbreak and its resulting lockdowns kept him off the canvas for the entirety of 2020.
"With the pandemic disrupting everything, it was tough to line up fights," Dawson reflected. "But fighters always say you've got to find your own space—some corner or whatever works—to keep working. I took a step back that year; I was still hitting the gym, but it wasn't full-on fighter mode, you know. Then in 2021, I finally stepped back into the cage in Vancouver, right around the tail end of all those lockdown restrictions. Training picked back up, we could do more, so I figured, why not jump into another fight? At some point you're just getting older," he explained.
Dawson's comeback bout didn't go his way, yet he arrives at this weekend's showdown against Sagman with determination intact—and a deeper hunger than ever.
Even while acknowledging Sagman's abilities, Dawson doesn't see Saturday's opponent as anything beyond what he's handled throughout his career.
"He holds a black belt in jiu-jitsu, sure, but I've faced guys like him since my amateur days—purple belts, brown belts. Take my 2019 finish over Nate Ledger, for instance, who's also a purple belt. This isn't gi grappling, though, right? In a gi you're not throwing punches; if I hit you, you'd be letting go. So I'm not overly concerned about that side of it," he noted.
"I know he's crossed paths with some fighters I've faced as an amateur too. Take Ty Wilson, who got caught in a rear-naked choke a couple fights back—I went the distance with Ty Wilson near the end of my amateur run at a 142-to-143-pound catchweight. He'll probably come out hot in the first round, and since he usually fights at 135, the weight cut might affect him. But I've sparred with plenty of capable folks, so I know where I stand. I just hope he's putting in the same work I am."
Where many active MMA fighters in their thirties trace their beginnings to formal dojos or training centers, Dawson said his journey started elsewhere—in bars and on the streets.
"I was decent at it, so we figured, why not try it inside a cage and avoid getting in trouble?" Dawson recalled.
"I actually have a cousin, Tyler Kirk, who competed as an amateur in the States before turning pro. I ended up being one of his main training partners, even though I hadn't trained much before that. I could still give him a real run for his money."
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