The MMA Daily

We have a scrap in the Lightweight division, as Drew Dober takes on Rafael Alves. A veteran of the game, Dober recently ended a two-fight skid with a stoppage victory over Terrance McKinney. An important win for Dober, who was at risk of falling completely off the map in the Lightweight division. With the victory, Dober picked up his seventh victory since 2017. Meanwhile, Alves comes into this fight off his first UFC victory. An impressive one at that, as he submitted Marc Diakiese. The victory was his sixth in the last seven fights, with the lone loss coming in his UFC debut against Damir Ismagulov. Which is no shame, given Ismagulov hasn’t lost since 2015 and is on a nineteen fight winning streak.

A definite frontrunner for “Fight of the Night”, I expect this fight to feature several brawls. Dober, a striker with an iron chin, has turned himself into a must watch fighter. Always looking to finish the fight, Dober invites opponents into a brawl. Knowing how well he can eat a strike, if that invitation is accepted, more often than not, Dober has put his opponents down. What has been his crux however, is wrestling. Being taken down thirteen times in the past four fights, Dober has always given an opponent an avenue to defeat him. One that Alves might take, as the Brazilian boasts excellent BJJ. Then again, known to be a wild man on the feet, who has a diverse attack, Alves may entertain slugging it out with Dober.

In what I expect to be a entertaining fight, I’m going to go with Dober. Nervous about Alves’ sneaky trips, as well as his BJJ on the mat, there is concern in this prediction. However, knowing that Alves is a fast starter and is wild, I see an opening for Dober to land something worthwhile. With that said, I predict that Dober wins via TKO.