Grant Dawson is walking back a comment he made about UFC Fight Night 196 opponent Ricky Glenn in the lead-up to Saturday’s bout.

Ahead of the lightweight matchup, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+, Dawson (17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) made a joke about Glenn’s (22-6-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) name that apparently rubbed him the wrong way.

Dawson said he didn’t know the full context of what he was saying, but once he learned it, he decided to issue an apology.

“I don’t know Ricky, and Ricky doesn’t know me,” Dawson told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 196 media day. “The only things we know about each other is he’s trying to take what I’ve worked for. I don’t necessarily dislike the guy. I don’t think I’ve said anything that was crossing the line. Everything I’ve said I’ve believed 100 percent.

“The only thing that I’ve said that I didn’t know about is I was calling him Richard as kind of a joke. Because my older brother’s name is Ricky and he hates being called Richard. As a joke I was calling him Richard, then I saw an interview he did and he was talking about something with his mother. I don’t know what it was. It was about his mother and a man named Richard and it was very – so I do feel bad about that. Believe it or not, I do have a mother myself and I would never want to make her feel uncomfortable. So Ricky if you’re watching, I do feel bad about the Richard part. But other than that, I’m still going to kick your ass.”

With the air cleared on his end, Dawson said he’s locked in on delivering another strong performance at UFC Fight Night 196. He’s unbeaten through five octagon appearances so far, and is now getting some spotlight with a co-main event matchup.

This isn’t entirely satisfying to Dawson, though, he said. He has grander aspirations beyond this fight, but he’s aware this plays a factor into his bigger goals.

“This isn’t enough for me,” Dawson said. “I don’t want to just be in the UFC, I don’t want to just be the guy that’s doing co-main events. I want to be the main event. I want to be a world champion and that’s what’s important to me. I’m definitely enjoying the journey and soaking it all in, but I have so much more I want to do.”

To hear more from Dawson, watch his complete UFC Fight Night 196 media day interview above.

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