This weekend at UFC 259, the unranked Drew Dober will take on #14 ranked Islam Makhachev in the lightweight division. Both fighters will be looking to climb their way up at 155-pounds. 

Going into the fight, all the attention and focus is around Makhachev given that he is touted by many, including the current lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, to become the next champion at 155-pounds. Dober is an underdog going into the fight and does not have a tremendous amount of pressure on him. 

However, Dober is not someone to overlook as he is more than capable of springing an upset and derailing the hype train that is Islam Makhachev. 

Read: ‘I don’t think he’ll be able to defend two titles’- Dana White on Israel Adesanya 

Can Drew Dober stop Islam Makhachev in his tracks?

In the pre-fight press conference, Dober was asked to share his thoughts on his opponent and what might be next for him. 

He said, “I mean, I want the attention, I want the eyes, I want the excitement. I want to be able to be in the main event in front of like millions of people and I want people to be excited about my fights. But do I expect the respect? No. I want to earn it. And with my fight with Islam Makhachev, this is my opportunity to earn the respect, earn the eyes, earn the fans. So, I can showcase more in my next one.”

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Dober continued, “I want bigger and better challenges, and so if I finish this fight fantastically, I would love to fight RDA as the main event this summer. I think I am deserving of former champions, the top guys and all that stuff.”

Going into the fight, Dober is on a three-fight win streak. He has beaten the likes of Alexander Hernandez, and Marco Polo Reyes, among others. A win over the Dagestani fighter will be a statement of his intent at lightweight and he will look to make it four in four. 

Meanwhile, Makhachev has been plagued with injuries and has not been able to fight as frequently as he would have liked to. He is currently on a six-fight win streak and a win this weekend will surely see him climb into the top 10 of the division. 

Who do you think will win when Drew Dober and Islam Makhachev collide at the UFC Apex?