Jacksonville has been very, very good to Team Elevation.
Saturday, Justin Gaethje represented the Denver gym with his superstar-making performance in a victory over Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249.
Wednesday, it was fellow lightweight [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]’s turn in the spotlight. Long thought of as a grinder, Dober’s star is beginning to shine, too, after a tremendous victory over [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 29.
Dober (22-9 MMA, 8-5 UFC) used a tenacious striking game to earn to earn a TKO at 4:25 of the second round for his third consecutive victory.
“I’m in here to bleed and die for everyone else, man – me and Justin Gaethje,” Dober said in his postfight interview.
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Both fighters had their moments in the opening round, but as the stanza progressed, it was clear Dober was taking control, as he pursued Hernandez (11-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), cut off his angles, and landed nice combos along the way.
The second started out with Dober on the wrong end of an eye poke. But he shook it off and got down to business. Over and over, Dober fired piston-like lefts and rights, then pursued Hernandez whenever Hernandez tried to scamper to safety.
The blows began to take their toll, and twice Hernandez resorted to desperation takedowns to stop the onslaught.
But it only forestalled the inevitable. Hernandez was out on his feet by the time referee Herb Dean waved things off late in the round.
“I wasn’t trying to hit hard – I was trying to hit often,” Dober said. “The more times you hit someone in the chin, the more you have a chance of knocking him over.”
With his 17th career win by finish, Dober has now won six of his past seven. Hernandez has dropped two of his past three.
The lightweight bout was part of the UFC on ESPN+ 29 main card at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. It streamed on ESPN+.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 29 results include:
- Drew Dober def. Alexander Hernandez via TKO (punches) — Round 2, 4:25
- Ricky Simon def. Ray Borg via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Andrei Arlovski def. Phillipe Lins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Thiago Moises def. Michael Johnson via submission (heel hook) – Round 2, 0:25
- Sijara Eubanks def. Sarah Moras via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Omar Morales def. Gabriel Benitez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Brian Kelleher def. Hunter Azure via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 3:42
- Chase Sherman def. Ike Villanueva via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 0:49
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