Athletes
Hakeem Dawodu: "I Feel Like It's My Time"
Featherweight Hakeem Dawodu Looks To Bounce Back With A Win Over Cub Swanson At UFC Fight Night: Luque vs Dos Anjos
Now in his sixth year on the UFC roster, Hakeem Dawodu returns from an 11-month absence on Saturday when he takes on Cub Swanson in the co-main event of the evening.
Coming off a loss to Julian Erosa at UFC 279 last fall in a bout where he also missed weight, the 32-year-old Calgary native was mentally prepared to hustle right back into action, but physically, Dawodu had some things he needed to take care of first.
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“Mentally I didn’t need the break, but physically, my shoulder was quite weak, so I needed to get healthy and then strengthen it,” explained the featherweight veteran, who had multiple platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) injections into his supraspinatus muscle to address a partial tear coming out of his last appearance. “Mental-wise, I was ready to push, but physically, I needed more time to make sure that I come in 100 percent and not have these issues.
“Nutrition-wise, I had to make sure my energy system was good at keeping at a low weight because I can’t allow myself to get heavy anymore and it was a bit of an issue.”
A technical and attacking kickboxer, Dawodu has spent much of his time on the roster residing in “The Second 15” in the featherweight division. After losing his promotional debut overseas, he rattled off five straight victories to work to the doorstep of the Top 15, where a unanimous decision loss to unbeaten standout Movsar Evloev knocked him back a step or two.
Rebounding with a win over TUF winner Michael Trizano got him moving in the right direction, but then things when astray again last September, when missing weight was compounded by landing on the wrong side of a unanimous decision verdict against Erosa.
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For a brief period, Dawodu was linked to a fight against Lucas Almeida in Vancouver earlier this summer, but the bout never materialized, opening the door for this weekend’s bout with Swanson to come together.
After nearly a year on the sidelines and coming off a frustrating result, the focused featherweight is happy with how things worked out.
“It’s a great fight; everybody knows Cub,” said Dawodu, who carries a 13-3-1 record into his clash with Swanson on Saturday. “I don’t even have to say his full name — I just say ‘I’m fighting Cub’ and everybody is like ‘Whoa!’
“It’s one of my biggest names to date,” continued the Canadian, who had a great deal of success in kickboxing and went 7-0-1 prior to arriving in the UFC. “Zubaira (Tukhugov), Movsar, and Cub are the biggest names I’ve had so far, so it’s definitely the fight I want and a fight that will propel me in the direction I want my MMA career to go.”
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That direction, of course, is up, and unfortunately for Dawodu, he’s got even more ground to make up in order to get where he wants to go as he heads into the Octagon this weekend.
One of the elements of MMA that we rarely seem to talk about is how time away doesn’t just strip a fighter of opportunities to compete and further compress the amount of time they have to chase down their goals inside the cage, but it also means they’re being overtaken by others within the division.
And in a division as deep and talented as featherweight, it’s not just one or two fighters working passed Dawodu during his absence.
Hakeem Dawodu Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Luque vs Dos Anjos
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Hakeem Dawodu Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Luque vs Dos Anjos
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In the time since his last appearance at UFC 279, fighters like Jonathan Pearce, Billy Quarantillo, and Nathaniel Wood have all made positive strides within the division, while Welsh standout Jack Shore and Brazilian Diego Lopes have thrown their names into the ring for a place in the pack of fighters hovering outside the Top 15, as well.
None of this escapes Dawodu. In fact, it’s part of what is fueling him heading into the weekend.
"As of right now, I’m not very happy to where I’m placed,” he admitted, “but I feel like after a big win, that’ll get me back in the ranking system and I can start gunning for all those Top 15s, Top 10s, Top 5s, start being at the top where I know I’m supposed to be.”
In order to get there, he first needs a strong effort against “Killer Cub” on Saturday, and while he has a ton of respect for the 19-year veteran, “Mean Hakeem” is locked in on using this fight to start getting himself back to where he feels he belongs.
“Everybody knows Cub has a big right hand and a big left hook,” began Dawodu, offering his assessment of Swanson. “He’s a veteran, he’s tricky, he’s been around for a long time — I definitely respect him and what he’s capable of doing, but, at the same time, I feel like it’s my time and I’m looking to take over this fight and show that I belong in the Top 15, Top 10, Top 5.
“I see me finishing this fight in a couple ways,” he added. “If I have to grind out a decision, I will, but I’m looking for the finish.
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“I know the finish is going to be there; I just don’t know how I’m gonna finish it. We’ve gone over so many scenarios that wherever the fight goes, we’re ready to end it there.”
UFC Fight Night: Luque vs Dos Anjos took place live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas on August 12, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
