O’Neill opened the fight aggressive, getting her hands going and changing levels for a takedown. When she couldn’t land the takedown, Dobson fired back with considerable power. But O’Neill, unfazed, repeated her initial attack, and this time, landed the takedown — if briefly.

Buoyed perhaps by that Upset of the Year performance against Mariya Agapova, Dobson stayed active, and in a clinch, landed a nasty looking knee to the body. O’Neill, however, quickly turned the tables, putting “Danger” Dobson flat on her back. Moments later, the newcomer was in side control, although she wouldn’t stay there long, instead moving back to her feet to try and find a way in on her opponent.

Later in the round, Dobson was still throwing hard — when she had a chance to get any offense off, that is. More often than not, it was Casey O’Neill in the driver’s seat, controlling on top, against the fence, and on the feet.

The first five minutes of Casey O’Neill’s career were solid. The second five minutes or less began with her taking the back of Shana Dobson. While the rear-naked choke wasn’t to be had, O’Neill made her way to mount, and elbows followed. Dobson covered, spun around, and tried to buck O’Neill off. None of the aforementioned approaches bore fruit. O’Neill remained on top, in mount, dropping elbows. When Dobson rolled, O’Neill took the back. Rolling again, O’Neill stayed tight to her, although she did take a pair of warnings for strikes to the back of the head. With no answer to the ref’s request to “show me something,” however, it was clear Dobson was done — and the fight was waved off moments later.

Welcome to the UFC @KingCaseyMMA! 🇦🇺

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— UFC (@ufc) February 20, 2021

As UFC debuts go, O’Neill’s was a good one.

Official Result: Casey O’Neill def. Shana Dobson by TKO, Round 2, 3:41

The post UFC Vegas 19 Results: Casey O’Neill Debuts in Style, Finishes Shana Dobson appeared first on Cageside Press.

Frankie Edgar

Edgar’s win likely boosts him right into the mix in his third division. However, that mix is a mess right now with no title fight booked and plenty of fighters already matched up. If Edgar’s dream is to be a two-division champion, he needs to do what he can to stay active. A match-up that still gets him where he’s going without waiting for a winner is Jimmie Rivera. Rivera has only lost to the very top of the division and his staunch takedown defense would make it interesting for Frankie.

Frankie Edgar’s Next Fight: Jimmie Rivera 

Mike Rodriguez

The Massachusetts native got back into the win column for the first time in three fights, and did so in emphatic fashion. His clinch work and knees have always been something that would give a lot of fighters problems, but he hasn’t always been able to force it. Another fighter who got back into the win column last time out is Kennedy Nzechukwu. Nzechukwu winds up in the clinch quite a bit himself, which is what would make this match-up intriguing to watch — Rodriguez would be able to test his clinch work against the size and athleticism of Nzechukwu.

Mike Rodriguez’s Next Fight: Kennedy Nzechukwu

Joe Solecki

In his fight this weekend with Austin Hubbard, he followed the blueprint that a lot of grapplers who fought Hubbard laid out for him. He used his hands to set up a grappling exchange and capitalized on it. So why not set him up with one of those grapplers that came before him? Olympian Mark Madsen saw similar dominance, but was unable to finish Hubbard. It would be interesting to see whether Madsen would control Solecki with his wrestling, because if he can’t Solecki is definitely ready for big things in this division.

Joe Solecki’s Next Fight: Mark Madsen

Shana Dobson

One of the largest underdogs to win a fight ever, Dobson shocked the world as she met Mariya Agapova punch for punch during her early onslaught and then took over as Agapova couldn’t keep up. This moment was even bigger for Dobson, who was coming off of three straight losses, seemingly with her job on the line. Given that she is now just 1-3 in her last four, a huge step up is probably not in order. Luana Carolina may be on the shelf a bit for her knee, but the striking styles of the two would be fun to watch. I’d understand if Dobson doesn’t want to wait to build her momentum, but that’s what I’d like to see.

Shana Dobson’s Next Fight: Luana Carolina

Daniel Rodriguez

Rodriguez is now the owner of one of the greatest comebacks of the year. After being tagged by a back peddling right hand from Dwight Grant, he seemed close to being stopped. After recovering though he seemed to be the fresher of the two, and finished the fight. I want to see him test that mettle against another hot prospect who can put people away. Miguel Baeza is fresh off of finishing Matt Brown, which is no easy feat. I’d love to see what happens when these two let their hands fly.

Daniel Rodriguez’s Next Fight: Miguel Baeza

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A fighter on an three-fight skid.

Agapova never wound up speaking to the media following that fight, leaving the story behind the callout something of a mystery. However she got her wish: the promotion booked the fight for UFC Vegas 7. Where it became a case of “be careful what you wish for,” with Dobson using ground n’ pound to finish off an exhausted Agapova in the second round. Despite being a massive underdog.

Speaking to Cageside Press during the post-fight press conference, Dobson shed some light into why the Kazakhstani fighter had targeted her.

“I think they offered me a short-notice fight with her at the beginning of the pandemic,” Dobson recalled. “With COVID and seeing people testing positive all over the place, I wasn’t in any hurry to go out there and get sick. I don’t think anybody had access to their coaches, training partners, gyms. I had to be smart about this.”

It was meant to be, as Dobson sees it. “I believe in fate, I believe everything happens for a reason, I believe we met when we were supposed to meet for a reason,” she stated. “And it worked out for me.”

Dobson knew she needed to get the finish the second time she took Agapova down. “This is money right here. This is easy work,” she recalled thinking. At that point in the fight, Agapova had absolutely burned herself out. It’s something Dobson and her coaches at Elevation Fight Team were expecting.

“We knew she was going to come out hot,” said Dobson, “and we knew I had to be calm and composed and use my experience.”

For her efforts, Dobson took home one of the evening’s Performance of the Night bonuses. That $50,000 will no doubt be a huge boost for the fighter, who is pursuing her master’s degree. She also likely saved her spot on the roster, improving to 4-4 and snapping that three-fight losing streak.

Watch the full UFC Vegas 7 post-fight press conference with Shana Dobson above.

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That’s not going to happen, of course. So instead it was a huge comeback, and a big upset, being rewarded. Plus the main event.

Shana Dobson, who was the biggest underdog on the card heading into UFC Vegas 7, took home one of the Performance of the Night bonuses. She was 1-3 in the UFC to start the night, with a sub-.500 record and on a three-fight skid. Matched up with Mariya Agapova, she used her wrestling, and clearly had the better gas tank. When Agapova had tired herself out in the second, Dobson took advantage, earning a TKO win on the ground.

The other Performance of the Night award went to newcomer Trevin Jones. Jones was lit up by Timur Valiev in the opening round of their catchweight fight (140lbs). A body kick crumpled him, and Valiev just plain opened up on Jones. But he survived, and in the second round, Valiev did not when Jones caught him with a punch, leading to a TKO stoppage.

The main event, meanwhile, was a thrilling back-and-forth battle between Frankie Edgar and Pedro Munhoz. Both men landed multiple right hands. Edgar mixed in his wrestling. Munhoz chewed up Edgar’s lead leg. Ultimately Edgar won a split decision win in his bantamweight debut. The pair were awarded Fight of the Night.

All four bonus-winning fighters will take home an extra $50,000 for their efforts.

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Kazakhstan’s Agapova had made her debut earlier this year, earning a submission over Hannah Cifers. Since losing to Tracy Cortez on the Contender Series, Agapova had won three straight, with the other two bouts coming in Invicta FC.

Dobson, meanwhile, had lost three straight heading into the pair’s flyweight bout at UFC Vegas 7. She was, frankly, fighting for her job.

After a quick exchange on the feet in this one, in which Agapova had the advantage, Shana Dobson elected to take the fight down. She had Agapova on her back for a moment; when Agapova escaped up, Dobson took things back down again, but wound up on her back.

Agapova was going full tilt, dropping some big ground strikes. On the feet, they kept the pace up, Agapova still putting everything and the kitchen sink into her attacks. But her impatience may have cost her, as she went off-balance and wound up taken down again. Dobson took the back, but was too high up, and Agapova tried to shake her off. Dobson looked for an arm-bar, but didn’t have it. Agapova then took the back, looking for a rear-naked choke, but Dobson survived.

On a night with some blistering action with Timur Valiev vs. Trevin Jones and Daniel Rodriguez vs. Dwight Grant, this pair had clearly been paying attention. Agapova in particular was fighting at a frentic pace. Whether she could keep that up was a question. Dobson opened the second with a high kick; Agapova took her down and got in guard. But Dobson reversed, mounted, and Agapova gave up her back. Dobson began launching bombs, with Agapova was suddenly covering up. A winded Agapova rolled, but Dobson kept at her and earned the TKO win!

The end result, nothing but an upset. Dobson yelled “underdog” and barked following the win. And she was exactly that, a massive underdog. Agapova, winded and rocked, had to be helped to her stool.

Official Result: Shana Dobson def. Mariya Agapova by TKO, Round 2, 1:38

The post UFC Vegas 7 Results: Shana Dobson Upsets Mariya Agapova With Second Round TKO appeared first on Cageside Press.

“She’s young, she’s excited. She’s coming off a great win, an impressive win,” Dobson observed, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press. “I have to give credit to my opponent, as always.”

Dobson (3-4) is, without question, in a tough spot entering the fight. She’s lost three straight after winning her first official UFC bout at The Ultimate Fighter 26 finale a few years back. A fourth consecutive loss would likely mean an exit from the promotion, but Dobson isn’t dwelling on that.

“I have a different mindset than most people. I look forward, I look to the future, I look to the present right now. I have a great team, I’m with Elevation Fight Team, I’m with a great set of coaches,” she explained. “I just feel confident. I’m not even thinking about [losing my job], I don’t think that’s going to be an issue come Saturday night.”

It’s the mental game, she added, that is key to fighting, one of the biggest lessons she’s learned to date.

“Train your mental game. It’s very important that fighters come in mentally prepared as well as physically prepared,” Dobson suggested. “It can’t just be 100% physical as far as preparation. Be aware of the feelings you’re going to feel leading up to the fight, fight week, fight night. Be aware of those feelings and embrace them.”

She’s done that, and covered the physical side of training as well. Expecting to be the best version of herself at UFC Vegas 7, she gave credit to Elevation.

“I’ve got to give credit to the training that I’ve put in and where I’ve been for the last few months,” said Dobson. “I feel like my team, the results have spoken for themselves.”

Considering the showing that people like Justin Gaethje have had, she’s not wrong.

“Pushing each other, sparring, sparring hard – there’s nothing that I haven’t seen yet,” added Dobson. “I feel fully prepared.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 7 virtual media day press scrum with Shana Dobson above. The event takes place Saturday, August 22 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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While everything moved quickly for Dobson once she turned pro, it took her a lot longer to find the sport. She was well into her 20’s when she dove into the cage, but much like her pro career, it didn’t take long for her to realize it was a fit.

“I had played soccer all through my life and I was kind of just looking for a different sport. I feel like me and MMA were soul mates. We were just going about life and then we were meant to meet,” Dobson said. “And I guess we were meant to meet when I was 27 years old because I was looking for a sport to participate in kind of casually.”

The instantaneous love for the sport stemmed from the differences it had with soccer. She had grown used to the demands of her first sport, but the new one tested much more than her physical attributes — it tested every part of her being.

“I started off with a small gym in Texas and then from there I saw it as a challenge, and I love a challenge in any way shape or form,” she said. “When I saw that it was something I had to grow with and that challenged me physically and mentally, and it utilizes every part of your body and every part of your mind and your spirit and your soul — that just made me fall in love with it.”

Even though she fell quickly and hard for MMA, Dobson didn’t immediately have plans to fight on even an amateur level. Instead it was her first coach who encouraged and pushed her to. When he did, it helped her realize even more that this was the right change for her in every facet.

“I think I had been training for six months. My coach at the time was like ‘I signed you up for a fight out in Oklahoma,’” Dobson recalled. “I didn’t go out and seek it myself. It was kind of like ‘I’m going to push you because I’m not sure if you’ll go out there and do it yourself’. So I took that fight and as soon as I stepped in the cage and that switch turned on, I felt like that was where I should have been my whole life.”

Despite the ups and downs, that feeling hasn’t gone away. Her career in MMA, which has seen her fight for the UFC 4 times (5 times if you count The Ultimate Fighter), is exactly where she was meant to be.

“I’m all about energy. I feel like I follow the positive energy and I follow my instincts. I think my instincts and the way I move, it’s gotten me where I’ve gone and I’m excited to see where it takes me,” she said. “Every time I’ve stepped in there, I feel so at home.”

You can see Dobson head back to her home this weekend as part of the UFC Fight Night: Munhoz vs Edgar main card on ESPN+. Dobson faces Kazakhstan’s Mariya Agapova.

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Following her debut win at UFC on ESPN 10 earlier this month, Mariya Agapova called out Shana Dobson. It was a bit of a weird one, given Agapova had just earned an impressive win, while Dobson had lost three straight.

Still, the UFC loves when fighters call their shots, and with a need for bodies at the moment thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, they’ve gone ahead and booked the fight.

Brazil’s Combate was first to report the news.

Agapova (9-1) submitted Hannah Cifers at UFC on ESPN 10 in her aforementioned debut. It was her third straight win, following two under the Invicta FC banner. The Kazakhstan-born fighter was reportedly ill following her octagon debut, and unable to speak to the media, meaning her callout of Dobson was never fully explained. She did, however, accuse Dobson of “running” from her.

As for Dobson (3-4), she last fought in February where she lost via knockout to Priscila Cachoeira. That was her third straight defeat, meaning her back will be to the wall this August.

The UFC’s August 22 card does not yet have an official name or location announced. The UFC has spent the entire month of June at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. In July, it heads to Abu Dhabi for four “Fight Island” shows starting with UFC 251.

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Opening up the UFC Auckland card on Saturday was a pair of women’s flyweights badly in need of a win. Priscila Cachoeira was 0-3 in her UFC stint to date. Shana Dobson, meanwhile, was in a dangerous position as well, having gone 1-2 since her appearance on The Ultimate Fighter. Dobson entered the Auckland card on a two-fight skid, having lost bouts to Lauren Mueller and Sabina Mazo.

Cachoeira pressed early, keeping Shana Dobson on the outside. Cachoeira almost immediately came over the top with a right hand, and began lighting Dobson up. Mere moments later, with Dobson on her heels, Cachoeira connected with an uppercut that sent Dobson crashing to the mat. That was it. A rarely seen display of power at 125, and a much-needed return to the win column for Brazil’s Cachoeira.

THAT UPPER CUT! 😳

🇧🇷 @PedritaprvtUFC didn't come to waste ANY TIME!

Watch live ➡️ ONLY on E+ pic.twitter.com/Ad6XBjnOHO

— UFC (@ufc) February 22, 2020

Cachoeira has not had the easiest run in the UFC to date, having made her debut against none other than Valentina Shevchenko. She also ran afoul of USADA thanks to a diuretic turning up in a drug test. After three straight losses, however, she may now have a chance to build something off a highlight reel win, even if she did enter the fight a heavy favorite.

Official Result: Priscilia Cachoeira def. Shana Dobson by knockout (punch), Round 1, 0:40

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The UFC’s next trip to New Zealand has a women’s flyweight contest set. MMA Junkie was first to report that Rachael Ostovich will return to the octagon opposite Shana Dobson at UFC Auckland this February. The promotion has yet to announce the fight, however Ostovich has confirmed the bout on social media.

Ostovich (4-5) will look to snap a two-fight losing skid when she makes the trip to Auckland. The Ultimate Fighter 26 cast member has lost two straight to Montana De La Rosa and Paige VanZant. The loss to VanZant came in January 2019, meaning it will be over a year between fights for the Hawaiian. However, Ostovich went through a horrific ordeal prior to that fight involving abuse at the hands of her then-husband, Arnold Berdon. Berdon was later sentenced to four years of probation after assaulting Ostovich, breaking her orbital bone in the process.

Shana Dobson (3-3), like Ostovich, appeared on The Ultimate Fighter 26, losing to Roxanne Modafferi on the show. She’d win her octagon debut at the TUF 26 finale, defeating Ariel Beck via TKO. Her next two fights, however, would result in unanimous decision losses. End result, the fighter nicknamed ‘Danger’ is in just that, as an 0-3 run would put her in danger of being cut by the promotion.

With Ostovich potentially in a similar spot, the pair should be plenty motivated come February. UFC Auckland takes place February 23, 2020 at the Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The event is anticipated to air on ESPN+.

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