It’s back down to five fights on Dana White’s Contender Series this week — but the fourth installment of this year’s DWCS will almost certainly pass a milestone.
In season one of the show, 16 UFC contracts were awarded. Total. In just three dates so far this year, Dana White had already dished out 15. Unless the unthinkable happened and there was a shutout on Tuesday, the first season mark would be surpassed in just the fourth show of the year.
Let’s take a closer look at the Contender Series this week.
Middleweight: Hashem Arkhagha Vs. AJ Dobson
Tale of the Tape
31-years-old
6’2″
Amman, Jordan
Meedan MMA
6-0
100% finish-rate
29-years-old
6’2″
Powell, Ohio, US
Carlson Gracie Team Ohio
5-0, 1 NC
Four finishes in a minute or under
Pros and Cons
Hashem Arkhagha
Pros
- Good ground and pound
- Heavy hands/Huge knockout power
- Good right-cross
- Fast starter
- Submission threat
- Good jab
- Nice straight one-two
- Sniper right hand
- Nice jab to the body
- Decent counter striker
Cons
- Suspect cardio
- TDD needs work
- Will swing too wild at times
- Stiff footwork
AJ Dobson
Pros
- Quick hands
- Fast starter
- Knockout power
- Good output/Combination striker
- Heavy right hand
Cons
- Will sit in the pocket too long
Who has the advantage?
Striking: Even
Speed: Dobson
Output/Volume: Dobson
Knockout Power: Arkhagha
Chin: Even
Kickboxing: Even
Footwork: Dobson
Wrestling: Arkhagha
Grappling: Arkhagha
Submissions: Arkhagha
Cardio: Even
Prediction
There isn’t a lot of certainty in this fight, but one thing that is almost a sure bet is that someone is getting finished. Arkhagha is one of the biggest Middle East and North African prospects out there. He was 4-0 in 2012, but would retire because he was told that if he fought again, he could lose his eyesight.
Seven years later, in 2019, Arkhagha returned to the cage and has had two highlight-reel knockouts.
Dobson is a virtually unknown prospect, but is the best prospect representing Ohio at the moment. It’s hard to get a good enough read on Dobson however, because there isn’t enough footage. I can see that he’s a good striker and a very dangerous power puncher. I don’t know how his ground game is though. Arkhagha does have some wrestling and a decent ground game but doing it against lower-level competition doesn’t prove much. I believe this fight will come down to who has the better hands and whose chin holds up. I don’t have a strong prediction but I like that Dobson is faster and throws more volume so I’m taking him.
