John Dodson expects to “break” Jarod Grant in the first round at KnuckleMania 3, plans to be BKFC and RIZIN champ by end of 2023

John Dodson was excited when he got the call to be on KnuckleMania 3.

Dodson returned to MMA on New Year’s Eve and scored a first-round TKO at RIZIN 40 as the former UFC title challenger inked a multi-fight deal with the promotion. Although he is signed with RIZIN, Dodson remains on the BKFC roster and wanted to be part of KnuckleMania 3, and he got his wish.

“Absolutely. I wanted to be on RIZIN’s biggest card which is the New Year’s Eve card and then jump into KnuckleMania,” Dodson said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “They want to put on a showcase of some of the best athletes and skilled athletes, I wanted to be part of this one too.”

Dodson made good on his BKFC debut last year as he knocked out UFC veteran Ryan Benoit in 40 seconds. It was an impressive performance, and the hope was he would get a title fight next time out.

However, that won’t happen, as instead, Dodson will face Jarod Grant who is the former BKFC interim bantamweight champ who is moving down to 125lbs. It’s an exciting matchup and Dodson is confident he will be able to break his will and get another stoppage win.

“He is durable when he is the one dictating the pace. But, as we just saw in his most recent fight, when he gets touched too many times, he broke within that fight,” Dodson said. “He sat there and got broken. Reggie Barnett did a great job pushing the pace and I plan to do that as well and break him in the first round… I would love to get another first-round finish. He is very durable but I want to break his will.”

If John Dodson does get the stoppage win as he expects, he believes he should be declared the BKFC flyweight champion, which currently does not have a champ.

“If he is the former interim champion at bantamweight coming down to flyweight, if I dismantle this dude and make a clear statement, there is no denying the fact I should have a title around my waist. It shows how well of a champion I am if I can pick apart the guys who have already had a title,” Dodson said.

Ultimately, the goal for Dodson is to bounce between BKFC and RIZIN and if all goes his way, he says he’ll hold both the BKFC and RIZIN flyweight titles at the end of the year.

“The goal is to fight throughout the whole year, three fights in bare knuckle and three fights in RIZIN. But, at the end of the year, I should have the BKFC and RIZIN titles around my shoulders,” Dodson concluded.

Do you think John Dodson will KO Jarod Grant as he says?