Drew Dober isn’t here to take the easy route to the top.
Going after one of the least sought out fighters in the division, Dober (23-9 MMA, 10-4 UFC) called for Islam Makhachev and he got his wish.
The pair will square off at UFC 259 on March 6 and Dober thinks elite grappler Makhachev (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) is exactly the type of opponent he needs to beat to prove that he can hang with the very best in the UFC’s 155-pound division.
“Everyone’s touting him as the next Russian champion, he’s super talented and he poses some really big threats,” Dober told MMA Junkie. “It’s a test for myself to prove that if I can get past Islam, I’m ready for top 10, top five guys and he’s got a lot of following behind him, a lot of Russian fans. I think there’s many reasons why I like this fight.”
He continued, “I want to fight the Michael Chandlers, the Dustin Poiriers, all those guys. So a win over Islam is gonna propel me to that opportunity to fight those top five guys. I want to get on a title run, I want to have fantastic fights and to fight the best in the world, you have to start somewhere. So a win over Islam is gonna open a ton of opportunities for me.”
Dober has won six of his past seven, scoring knockout wins over Marco Polo Reyes, Nasrat Haqparast and Alexander Hernandez in his past three outings. His lone blemish in that run came in a submission loss to Beneil Dariush, which Dober describes as a turning point in his career.
“I think a lot of people can’t take me seriously unless I showcase a strong ground game or a strong ground defense,” Dober said. “I think I’ve evolved a lot since my last loss. Beneil has really taught me a lot with my game and we spent a lot of time me and my coaches really fine-tuning and shaping things up to where I’m not just a striker, but I can wrestle and play jiu-jitsu as well.”
In what is being dubbed as a classic striker vs. grappler matchup, Dober thinks that’s a dangerous approach to take going into his fight with Makhachev.
Though he’s spent plenty of time working on his ground game for his numerous scrapped bouts with Diego Ferreira, Dober knows he has to be ready for wherever the fight goes.
“With me preparing for Diego and really working my ground game, Islam has not fought in a year and a half so who knows what he’s been working on, what he’s gonna come with and so I’d be dumb if I wanted to picture it as a striker vs. a grappler,” Dober said. “He could come in and try and kickbox with me and try and knock me out so I have to prepare for the best Islam in every facet of the sport so I’m ready for whatever.”
UFC 259’s Drew Dober says win over Islam Makhachev will prove he’s ready for lightweight elite