Jared Cannonier

Third-ranked middleweight contender Jared Cannonier defeated seventh-ranked Sean Strickland in a razor thin split decision in the last UFC bout of 2022. Cannonier now finds himself in a bit of an uncertain and awkward situation in the context of the division given that he has now fought all but three of the top nine fighters in the rankings.

As it so happens, two of those fighters, fourth ranked Marvin Vettori and newly eighth ranked Roman Dolidze are set to fight in 2023. The other, sixth ranked Paulo Costa, just had his bout with Robert Whittaker fall through amid reports that he is unhappy with his contract situation — reports that have persisted for the better part of two years now. So it would make sense that Cannonier fights the winner of Vettori vs Dolidze. If he can win that fight, he could find himself back in a title shot sooner rather than later given that he has not fought the new champion, fellow power puncher Alex Pereira. The path there may be difficult, but there is a path there, which may not have existed if Israel Adesanya, who beat Jared earlier in 2022, had remained champion

Cannonier’s Next Fight: Winner of Vettori vs Dolidze

Arman Tsarukyan

Armenian-born Arman Tsarukyan got back to his winning ways with a decision victory over unheralded talent Damir Ismagulov in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 66. Arman had been on a five fight winning streak before losing a controversial decision in a thrilling Fight of the Night against Mateusz Gamrot in his last fight. This result moves him to 6-2 in the UFC with his only losses coming to champion Islam Makhachev and the aforementioned, seventh-ranked Gamrot. At only 26-years old Tsarukyan is seen by many as one of the brightest young talents in the entire sport and as such the ninth-ranked lightweight — at least until the rankings are updated on Tuesday – deserves a highly ranked opponent in such a wide-open division, where only the champion is currently booked to fight.

The top five at 155lbs contains multiple veterans who are coming off of big losses recently — Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, and Michael Chandler — who should fight down in the rankings and give a younger, rising talent a chance to break into the top of the division. Any of those four options are reasonable, but in a meritocracy the fighter who should fight down the most is Michael Chandler. Although Chandler has achieved star power and entertained the masses in his short time in the UFC, he is still 2-3 in the promotion. Further, Chandler’s wrestling credentials could keep the Armenian fighter from succeeding with his own offensive wrestling, which is Arman’s A-game, and force Tsarukyan to really prove his mixing of the martial arts is up to the task of fighting in the top five.

Tsarukyan’s Next Fight: Michael Chandler

Amir Albazi

Amir Albazi finished his second straight short notice opponent, Alessandro Costa, on Saturday after top ranked fighters Brandon Royval and Alex Perez both were forced to withdraw from the bout.

Albazi has now fought and finished all four of his opponents in the UFC but still is yet to fight a ranked opponent due to bad luck with his bookings falling through. Still, when the rankings come out on Tuesday he will likely be ranked in the top seven at flyweight and only a win or two away from a title shot. His original opponent for UFC Vegas 66, Alex Perez, is now booked against Kai Kara-France, but second replacement Brandon Royval remains unbooked after a broken wrist forced him to withdraw from the bout with Albazi. Royval revealed that the wrist injury will not require surgery and thus it seems reasonable to assume he will be ready to fight sometime in the first half of 2023, making him a perfect opponent for Amir Albazi. Royval is ranked fourth in the division and is, like Albazi, an elite grappler who also has a propensity for dynamic striking. A bout between the pair would leave one fighter ready for a number one contender fight and as a bonus would likely be incredibly exciting, as all Royval fights are.

Albazi’s Next Fight: Brandon Royval

Alex Caceres

Fan favorite fighter ‘Bruce Leeroy’ pulled off a spectacular, highlight-reel head kick knockout of Julian Erosa at UFC Vegas 66 on Saturday, a finish which is sure to earn him a highly ranked opponent. Caceres is 6-1 in his last seven fights and was actually ranked fifteenth at featherweight earlier in 2022 before he ran into twelfth-ranked Sodiq Yusuff. Another man vying for a ranking in the talent rich 145lb division is fellow former bantamweight Nathaniel Wood, who is 2-0 since moving up. Wood and Caceres both have well-rounded skillsets but spend most of their fight time on the feet and tend to put on exciting fights every time they step in the octagon, making this a perfect fight to determine who gets to fight a ranked opponent in the near future.

Caceres’ Next Fight: Nathaniel Wood

Drew Dober

Drew Dober is another fan favorite action fighter who won by knockout at UFC Vegas 66 over a tough, unranked foe. Dober, famous for his iron chin and knockout power, which now sees him tied with Dustin Poirier for the most knockouts in UFC lightweight history, finds himself on a three fight knockout streak after back-to-back setbacks to top-15 opposition in Brad Riddell and Islam Makhachev.

Dober deserves to test those waters again and Grant Dawson is just the man against whom he should do it. Dawson, who is undefeated in the UFC with his lone setback being a draw three fights ago against Ricky Glenn, likes to use volume wrestling to wear opponents down before submitting them with his trademark rear-naked choke, but make no mistake, Dawson has striking ability as well. Dober has shown some weakness to wrestling and submissions in the past, as four of his last five losses came by submission, making this the perfect trial to determine if he has fixed those holes in his game and is truly ready to make a run at the top of the division.

Dober’s Next Fight: Grant Dawson

Michał Oleksiejczuk

Polish power puncher Michał Oleksiejczuk improved to 2-0 in his new division, middleweight, on Saturday with yet another first round knockout, this time over Cody Brundage. Oleksiejczuk has won six of his seven UFC victories by first round KO, making him one of the more exciting unranked fighters at 185lbs.

One fighter with noticeable stylistic similarities to Oleksiejczuk is Edmen Shahbazyan, a fellow knockout artist who has also shown weaknesses in the wrestling and cardio departments in the past. The UFC would be hard-pressed to find a more exciting fight for Michal than Shahbazayan, as that fight would be instant striking fireworks and almost a guaranteed highlight-reel knockout. Shabazyan is on a similar timetable to Oleksiejczuk, given that he fought and won by knockout only one week before UFC Vegas 66, and looks to return to the rankings where he once made his home. A win over Edmen would be the biggest of Michal Oleksiejczuk’s career and would propel him towards his first spot in the rankings in the biggest promotion in the world.

Oleksiejczuk’s Next Fight: Edmen Shahbazyan

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 66 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Sean Strickland came up short in the main event opposite Jared Cannonier, and would later blast the judges (more on that later), while Bobby Green was stopped by the heavy hands of Drew Dober. What’s next for those two key players and other fighters who fell short on Saturday? Let’s take a closer look.

Sean Strickland

For two fights in a row now, Strickland’s bite has not matched his bark. That’s the danger of promoting yourself as a loose cannon: if you’re going to make wild, zany, off-the-wall statements, you need to back them up. The level of crazy outside the cage needs to be matched inside it, in other words. In July, ahead of UFC 276, Strickland stole the show at the pre-fight press conference, jawing with then-champ Israel Adesanya, then stood in front of Alex Pereira with a puzzling game plan (or lack thereof) that resulted in being knocked out inside of a round.

Ahead of UFC Vegas 66, the nature of Strickland’s crazy talk was more directed at the media, so this loss doesn’t sting quite as much. Making fun of the media gallery is easy enough; we’re required to act professional and aren’t about to face fighters in the cage down the line. Beyond that, losing to Jared Cannonier by decision at UFC Vegas 66, Strickland didn’t fight a bad fight, but didn’t heed his own corner’s advice, and it cost him in a close split.

Either loss on its own wouldn’t matter so much as the two back-to-back. Strickland went ahead and blamed the judges, not surprisingly after the Doug Crosby fiasco a week ago. But that handy scapegoat won’t be producing any milk this time out: the scoring for Cannonier vs. Strickland wasn’t bad. It was just a close fight.

What Strickland needs now more than anything is a win over a notable name. He’s gone 1-2 in main events, and if he wants to keep getting those, well, you have to win more than you lose. Until recently, he had been doing that, so he clearly has the talent. The question is, what comes next? Darren Till recently suffered another loss, and Strickland vs. Till would be all kinds of fun — but Till may be on the shelf for a while. Nassourdine Imavov fights Kelvin Gastelum atop the first UFC card of 2023, and the loser of that could be an option — because coming off two losses, Strickland is likely fighting down in the division anyway.

Strickland’s next fight: Imavov vs. Gastelum loser

Damir Ismagulov

Arman Tsarukyan had plenty of praise for UFC Vegas 66 co-main event opponent Damir Ismagulov following their lightweight fight. That was very sporting of him, but the fact remains, Ismagulov lost a one-sided decision, his first setback in the UFC thus far.

Thus ends the former M-1 champ’s 19-fight win streak. At 31, he still has a few good years ahead of him, and he’ll likely remain in the top 15 of the division (currently Ismagulov sits at #12).

Next up, a fight with Grant Dawson makes sense. He’s ranked at #14, and like Ismagulov prior to Saturday, has never lost in the UFC. Dawson last fought in November and doesn’t appear to have a fight booked yet; March or April sounds about right.

Imagulov’s next fight: Grant Dawson

Alessandro Costa

Alessandro Costa didn’t last long against Amir Albazi at UFC Vegas 66, but that’s not the point. Costa showed up on short notice, and made weight. In these situations, that’s really what’s being asked of any fighter. A win would have been icing on the cake, but Costa now has his foot in the door, after being denied a UFC deal despite winning on the Contender Series.

Next up for Costa should be a newcomer, or someone who recently entered the promotion. Carlos Candelario is 0-2 in the organization and last fought in November. He’s in must-win territory; the winner here gets their first UFC victory.

Costa’s next fight: Carlos Candelario

Julian Erosa

“Juicy J” has become a popular figure with fans in recent years, but he will forever live on as part of Alex Caceres’ highlight reel after a picture perfect head kick KO on Saturday.

Ouch. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak, and after some time off, Erosa will hopefully be right back in the swing of things.

Alexander Hernandez recently came up short against Billy Quantillo in his featherweight return. Hernandez is 5-5 in the UFC. Erosa is 6-6. Both are coming off losses in the month of December. One of these talents gets back to their winning ways paired up in Spring of 2023.

Erosa’s next fight: Alexander Hernandez

Bobby Green

Bobby Green is as game as they come and looked great in the opening round against Drew Dober at UFC Vegas 66. Then came the well-placed knockout blow that put him down in the second. In a game of inches, Green had come up just short.

That’s two losses in a row for Green, but losing to Dober, and current champ Islam Makhachev on extremely short notice, is nothing to be ashamed of. He should still land a sizeable name next — the question becomes, who is suitable who Green hasn’t already fought?

We’re going left field with this one: Tony Ferguson. “El Cucuy” has lost five straight fights. He’s somehow holding onto a #15 ranking, but realistically hasn’t won since 2019. This one just feels like a fun fight, that gets one man a win, and is high-profile enough to be a co-main event. And the talk ahead and during the fight would be wild.

Green’s next fight: Tony Ferguson

Cody Brundage

Cody Brundage stepped in to replace Albert Duraev against Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC Vegas 66. The move did not pay off. Brundage wound up stopped in the first, victim of a violent KO that halts a two-fight win streak.

Brundage is now 2-2 in the promotion, and could be a good foil for “Ugly Man Joe” Joseph Holms. He’s coming off a late-October loss of his own.

Brundage’s next fight: Joseph Holmes

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 66 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

McKenna (8-2) won her way into the promotion on the Contender Series in 2020, and is now 3-1 inside the octagon following her decision win over Vlismas. Once, “Poppins” was the youngest fighter on the roster, a spot now taken by Rosas.

When it comes to advice for the 18-year old, however, McKenna doesn’t have any. She feels he’s mature enough, in terms of the sport.

“I feel like the sport is getting younger. There’s a lot more kids that are growing up within the industry now, as opposed to getting into it later in life,” McKenna told media outlets including Cageside Press. “A lot of kids get into martial arts and kind of grow up within the sport. I feel like we’re going to see a lot more youngsters in the UFC.”

As McKenna pointed out, “the age doesn’t always line up with the experience.” In her own case, arriving in the UFC at 21, “I had more experience than most of the 30-year olds in there. Just people see that you’re young, and make assumptions. But I think in the sport experience matters more than age.”

Saturday’s contest against Vlismas was McKenna’s highest-profile match-up in the UFC to date, set as the featured preliminary card fight at the last event of 2022 for the promotion. Of that placement, McKenna said “it’s really cool, moving way up the card. Obviously it shows that I’m making steps in the right direction. Hopefully I put on a performance worthy of it.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 66 post-fight press scrum with Cory McKenna above.

The post UFC Vegas 66: Cory McKenna Feels MMA As a Sport Is “Getting Younger” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Albazi (16-1) has now won four straight fights in the UFC. The Iraqi, who has fought all over the globe since turning pro in 2009, was originally scheduled against Alex Perez, than Brandon Royval, at the event on Saturday.

His mindset, however, means it doesn’t matter who he faces.

“It’s to be ready for all of them. And I feel I’m ready for all of them anyways. My game doesn’t change, that’s who I am,” Albazi told media outlets including Cageside Press following the bout. “Whoever they put in front of me, if I can’t take them down, I’m going to fight with them until they give me the takedown. You find out several times that your opponent has changed, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, I’m going to go out with a win.”

The 29-year old made the move to Las Vegas during the pandemic, looking to take his career to the next level alongside fellow UFC talents Farid and Javid Basharat. It was the next step in a lengthy journey, one that other fighters might have been reluctant to take, given the success Albazi had already achieved.

Why aren’t more fighters willing to take such risks? “I can only speak for myself, but being comfortable. I would say being comfortable. A lot of people are comfortable where they are. I’ve never been comfortable,” explained Albazi. “I fled Iraq when I was the age of seven. Middle of the night, I went to Syria. Haven’t seen my father. From Syria I went to Sweden at the age of eight. In Sweden I lived alone as a teenager, 15 years old. I lived completely alone until the age of 18. And when I turned 18, I moved to London, for ten years. Same thing. New country, can’t speak the language, no friends. Kept fighting, kept trying. Got into the UFC. Now, in Vegas.”

“This is another step on the way. For me it’s nothing new. I’ve always been uncomfortable. I thrive there.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 66 post-fight press scrum with Amir Albazi above.

The post UFC Vegas 66’s Amir Albazi: “I’ve Always Been Uncomfortable. I Thrive There.” appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Saturday at UFC Vegas 66, Caceres (20-13, 1NC) hit a stunning head kick KO on Julian “Juicy J” Erosa, a knockout that earned the 34-year old a Performance of the Night bonus.

Many would argue it’s his best performance to date, but Caceres told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight at the UFC Apex that “Every fight, I feel like it’s my best performance. So this is going to be number one for me.”

“I came in there ready, I came in there confident, I came in there feeling like I was going to be controlling the fight,” said Caceres. “Of course I’m nervous and I’m scared of getting hit in the face, I’m fighting another professional fighter. But for the most part, I was ready.”

Caceres hopes to do it again soon, after sitting out longer than he’d hoped between bouts.

“Soon as I can. I don’t like sitting out,” he said when asked about a time frame for his return. “I was supposed to fight in October, after my fight in July, and I just sat out too long. It’s too much space between fights. I need to be more active.”

“To me, it’s not about getting anywhere, I just love doing it,” Caceres added. “If you keep me away from the things I love, I get frustrated. So get me back in as soon as you can.”

With UFC Vegas 66 the final event of the year, Caceres was asked about his highlight for 2022. In terms of fights, Saturday’s knockout was it. In general, he added, “making it. Making it through 2022. It was a tough year.”

What does he expect 2023 to be like? “Hopefully tougher, and I can persevere over that as well.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 66 post-fight press scrum with Alex Caceres above.

The post UFC Vegas 66: Alex Caceres Wants to Stay Busy, Says “I Just Love Doing It” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Certainly more well-rounded, with a better ground game than lightweight Tsarukyan (19-3) had anticipated.

“I thought I could choke him very easy. I felt like ‘if I get his back, I’m going to choke him right away.’ Because I heard he doesn’t have good wrestling, grappling. But today I understood he’s tough on the ground too. It’s difficult to hold him there. He was really good,” Tsarukyan told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight at the UFC Apex, which wound up going the distance. “Nobody stopped him or knocked him out in the UFC. I’m the first guy who beat him here, and I think it’s a big fight for me and a big name. He’s not in the top five but he is tougher than top [five] fighters.”

With the unanimous decision win and no injuries coming out of Saturday’s fight, Tsarukyan is ready to return at a moment’s notice — for the right fight. “I would like to have next fight five rounds, because I know my conditioning is good,” Tsarukyan said Saturday. He’s also aiming for a big fight, up in the rankings. Otherwise, he may take his time coming back.

“I’m young and I can cut weight. If UFC offered me a big fight, I’m going to be ready tomorrow. But if they offer me someone from the top 15, I’m not going to fight, I’m going to wait a little bit,” Tsarukyan stated. “Improve my skills, and go to ATT to train with my coach. Last time, I had it [fight camp] in Thailand because I didn’t have my visa, and he got mad. This time, I gotta go to Miami, ATT and train with him a long time and then choke everybody. Because this time, he said I made some mistakes in grappling but we’re going to improve it and we’re gonna choke everybody.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 66 post-fight press scrum with Arman Tsarukyan above.

The post UFC Vegas 66: Arman Tsarukyan Wants Big Fight Next, Will Wait Otherwise appeared first on Cageside Press.

Scotland’s Wood (15-8) will face Luana Carolina (8-3) in a flyweight match-up at the London, England-based event on March 18, 2023.

Multiple sources confirmed the booking to Cageside Press on Sunday, following an initial report by Ag.Fight.

Wood, training out of Syndicate MMA under coach and husband John Wood, has not competed since March 2022, when she dropped her third straight bout at the hands of Alexa Grasso. That trailed losses to Taila Santos and Lauren Murphy, not to mention the loss of a title shot after champ Valentina Shevchenko pulled out of a planned fight.

Wood and Shevchenko were expected to face off at UFC 251 in 2020, only for Shevchenko to withdraw due to injury. Wood then opted to step up against Jennifer Maia on short notice that August, but was submitted by the Brazilian, who would go on to face Shevchenko just three months later.

Carolina will be returning to the scene of the crime in a sense. She last competed in London in March of 2021, where she was knocked out in violent fashion by a Molly McCann spinning elbow.

UFC 286 will take place at the O2 Arena in London, England on March 18, 2023. While no main event has been officially announced for the card, it is expected that welterweight champ Leon Edwards will top the show. The following bouts have been reported for the event thus far:

• Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze
• Joanne Wood vs. Luana Carolina

The post Joanne Wood vs. Luana Carolina Booked for UFC 286 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The front-runner for Fight of the Night on paper had been Drew Dober vs. Bobby Green, and it did not disappoint. Green started strong, working his jab, moving like water, and seemingly talking the entire time. But in the second round of the lightweight affair, Dober trapped him against the cage, and in an exchange of fire caught him with a punch that sent him to the floor.

Dober had barely begun to unload hammerfists when the ref dove in to wave things off. Green briefly protested the stoppage, but he’d been hit hard enough to drop him, and didn’t start defending himself immediately. A sound enough stoppage, for safety’s sake.

It was no surprise when the promotion announced Drew Dober vs. Bobby Green as the UFC Vegas 66 Fight of the Night.

Performance of the Night bonuses went to Michał Oleksiejczuk and Alex Caceres. Poland’s Oleksiejczuk knocked out Cody Brundage in a middleweight fight that kicked off the UFC Vegas 66 main card, while Caceres floored Julian Erosa with a perfectly timed clean head kick later in the night.

All four bonus-winning fighters pick up an additional $50,000 for their efforts.

The post UFC Vegas 66: Drew Dober vs. Bobby Green Earns Final Fight of the Night Bonus in 2022 appeared first on Cageside Press.

As one of the few top seven middleweights to have not fought for the belt already, Strickland could be close to a title shot of his own with a win here despite coming off of a loss as well. Many looked at this fight as a striking affair that pitted power against technique, with Jared being known as one of the hardest hitters at middleweight while Sean is known for his high volume boxing which is highlighted by an especially sharp jab.

Cannonier opened southpaw but has been known to switch stances, an affectation he developed somewhat recently as he grew as a fighter. He used that stance switching to cover ground and push Strickland back to the fence early. Strickland constantly feinted and jabbed as Cannonier came forwards at him with punches and occasional leg kicks. Sean’s head movement was on point early as he avoided most of those punches. Three minutes into the round Strickland caught a kick and bundled Jared over but Cannonier was able to get back to his feet quickly, although he was stuck in the clinch for a brief period. The rest of the round was medium tempo striking, with no one gaining a strong upper hand.

Jared opened round two with a big leg kick and a glancing right hand to the head, starting strong after a close first round. Cannonier tried to get past the jab of Sean and corner him but the lateral movement made it difficult. Jared was unable to cut the cage to stymie that movement. For almost the entire round the only clean strikes that Cannonier landed were leg kicks, though those were very effective against such an upright and jab-heavy fighter as Strickland. Late in the round Strickland landed a solid combination that backed Jared up, but those were the only power shots that landed cleanly during the entire round until Jared landed his first good right hand of the round right at the buzzer. The first two rounds were extremely close and could each go either way.

A good jab from Strickland was the first significant strike of round three, which caught Jared off balance and made him stumble slightly. Overall the pace and rhythm were the same as the previous rounds early on, with little clean offense landed outside of jabs and leg kicks. Jared landed two good left hook, right straight combinations halfway through the round that were perhaps his most impactful strikes of the fight, but Sean ate them with little trouble. Cannonier threw fewer leg kicks in the third and a late attempt was checked by Strickland which may have deterred Jared even more.

The championship rounds began with the same tempo once again. Defense was on point from each man and their offense was not able to crack it consistently. Sean landed two good one-two combinations around two minutes into the round, though. Strickland began to use front kicks up the middle, which Eric Nicksick had called for in his corner, but Cannonier was too sharp defensively. In the final minute Jared began to have success and was landing punches due to simply being more aggressive and committing to strikes more than before. He landed one particularly big overhand left in the last twenty seconds but Sean recovered and the bell sounded.

Going into the final round, every prior round had been close and could conceivably be scored for either fighter. The last round was crucial and both corners tried to fire up their athletes as they headed out there for the final five minutes. One minute into the round Strickland countered an over-committed strike from Cannonier and staggered him backwards somewhat with a good right hand, but Jared recovered well, then landed a right of his own soon after. Jared was getting more and more aggressive and it was suiting him as he snapped Strickland’s head back at the midway point of the round. When Jared strung more than two strikes together he had a lot of success. With ninety seconds left in the round the commentary revealed that the unofficial strike count was tied at exactly 106 significant strikes each, illustrating the thin margins in the bout. Strickland finally began to show some wear on his face in the last round as his nose got busted open but he was not deterred at all. Throughout the round they each opened up more and more and the last thirty seconds seemingly had as many strikes landed as the entire first round. The last UFC fight of 2022 ended with both men on their feet, swinging until the end.

It was a rare MMA fan who would want to be a judge for this fight, the margins were so thin and there was perhaps not a single clear round out of the full five. When Joe Martinez read the scorecards it was a split decision. All three judges had it 49-46 but two of them scored the fight for Jared ‘The Killa Gorilla’ Cannonier while only one scored it for Sean Strickland. The third ranked fighter in the world was able to successfully defend his ranking to close out the year. Brendan Fitzgerald revealed after the post fight interview that there was not a single round that all three judges scored the same, further illustrating the razor thin margins.

Official Result: Jared Cannonier def. Sean Strickland by Split Decision (49-46, 46-49, 49-46)

The post UFC Vegas 66: Jared Cannonier Wins Close Split Decision Over Sean Strickland In Last UFC Fight of 2022 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Despite Green starting the fight strong with slick movement and pinpoint accuracy, it was Dober coming away with the KO victory in the second round at UFC Vegas 66. What he saw from Green inside the octagon, Dober told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight, was both surprising — and something special.

“All of it,” Dober (26-11, 1NC) said when asked what surprised him about Green. “How fast he was, how fluid he was. Man, he was really hard to hit. He was able to shoulder roll and man that talking, it definitely kind of bothers you a little bit. I can’t run my mouth as well as he can. But man, he was truly something special and everything that I looked forward to.”

Dober admits he was a fan of Green’s from “way, way back. So this was actually a long time coming and a true honor to be able to compete with him.”

He prefers that sort of match-up — fighting opponents he respects, rather than hates.

“When you hate somebody, you’re afraid to lose to that person, so you fight not to lose,” explained Dober. “But when you enjoy the person, you can respect the person, you can open up and be creative. And that’s when fun fights happen. The best fights I’ve ever seen are two friends trying to fight each other.”

“I think more respect is going to lead into more fantastic fights.”

The corner advice he received following a rough first round? “They told me a lot. Don’t get hit. Do less losing and more winning,” Dober joked. But there was some serious advice laid out for him. “To control the octagon. We were trying not to head hunt. I got a little mixed up in it, whether it was Bobby’s words or whatnot. We had to pull things back a bit, control the octagon, use some footwork, and try to set a game up versus trying to run it head first.”

"They told me a lot. Don't get hit. Do less losing and more winning."

Some solid advice from @DrewDober 's team! 😉

Full #UFCVegas66 post-fight scrum ➡️: https://t.co/AH32DrAYG5 pic.twitter.com/0DwYUNcdSV

— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) December 18, 2022

Following the fight, Dober called out one name in particular. “I think I dropped the name Jalin Turner,” said Dober. For no particular reason, it seems. “It’s just the first name that came to mind.”

If not Turner, there are a number of names that interest the lightweight. “Michael Johnson would be a super-fun fight,” he noted. So would any number of other potential opponents. “I said yes to about five fights before Bobby Green agreed. Who do I want to fight? All of them.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 66 post-fight press scrum with Drew Dober above.

The post Drew Dober Jokes About Corner Advice at UFC Vegas 66: “Do Less Losing and More Winning” appeared first on Cageside Press.