Tag: Drew Dober

John McCarthy weighs in on Manuel Torres vs. Drew Dober stoppage at UFC on ESPN 64

John McCarthy thinks Manuel Torres vs. Drew Dober at UFC on ESPN 64 was stopped too late.

[autotag]John McCarthy[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 64 was stopped too late.

Torres (16-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) dropped Dober (27-15 MMA, 13-11 UFC) with a straight right, followed by a series of unanswered hammerfists to score the Round 1 TKO in Saturday’s co-main event at Arena CDMX in Mexico City.

Many, including Torres, took issue with how long it took referee Mike Beltran to wave the fight off after Dober wasn’t intelligently defending himself. Veteran referee McCarthy acknowledges that it’s tough to gauge sometimes, but thinks Beltran let Dober take too much unnecessary damage.

“The stoppage was a little slow when you look at it,” McCarthy said on his “Weighing In” podcast. “It was good, but it was a little slow because of the uniqueness of what you watched off of the way he went down and then the way he just stayed in one spot eating 15 shots that were hard and again, people think, ‘Oh a hammer fist.’

“Hammer fists have power. I just don’t know how to tell you man, don’t let someone get a free shot on the side of your noggin with a good hammer fist because we’ve done studies on all that stuff, and you’ll get people able to throw a hammer fist every bit as hard as someone throwing a straight shot.”

McCarthy says Beltran should have trusted his initial instinct.

“He actually stepped in, and then was like, ‘Oh, got to give him more of a shot,'” McCarthy said. “It’s like: No, you should have stopped it there. You had the right read. But I understand why he didn’t.”

Dober, who now has lost three straight fights, took to X to react to his loss.

“Well, that sucked. A beautifully timed one two by Manuel Torres. There’s not much to go off of other than, unfortunately, stepping in front of the rear hand of a long power puncher.

“As much as I love Mexico City, it’s given me two of my most embarrassing losses of my career, haha. But the food and people are still the best. I’m happy and healthy and excited to be a stay at home dad for a while.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.

UFC on ESPN 64 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $33 million

UFC Mexico fighters took home Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, with Kelvin Gastelum and Drew Dober leading the way.

MEXICO CITY – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 64 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $168,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 64 took place at Arena CDMX in Mexico. The card aired on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 64 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]David Martinez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Saimon Oliveira[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ronaldo Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ateba Gautier[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jose Daniel Medina[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Melquizael Costa[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Julia Polastri[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Vinc Pichel[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Gabriel Miranda[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]MarQuel Mederos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag]: $11,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,640; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $32,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-64 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2025 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,118,000
2024 total: $8,280,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $33,135,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.

UFC on ESPN 64 video: Manuel Torres hammerfists Drew Dober for quick TKO

Manuel Torres smoked 25-fight octagon veteran Drew Dober in less than two minutes at UFC Mexico.

[autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag] delivered another thrilling performance in his young octagon career Saturday when he quickly dispatched of veteran [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN 64 co-main event.

Torres (16-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) promised excitement in the lightweight matchup at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, and he lived up to that when he hurt Dober (27-15 MMA, 13-11 UFC) with a huge straight right for a knockdown followed by a series of hammerfists for the TKO at the 1:45 mark of Round 1.

Dober protested the stoppage in the immediate aftermath, but didn’t appear fully aware what had unfolded.

Check out the replay of the stoppage below (via X):

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 64 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.

Drew Dober vs. Manuel Torres prediction, pick, start time for UFC on ESPN 64

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom goes inside the Drew Dober vs. Manuel Torres co-main event at UFC Mexico.

Drew Dober and Manuel Torres meet Saturday in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 64 at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Last event: 4-2
UFC main cards, 2025: 25-22-1

Drew Dober vs. Manuel Torres UFC Mexico preview

Somehow, Dober (27-14 MMA, 13-10 UFC) has been in the UFC nearly a dozen years, and with eight bonuses he’s one of the most consistently exciting lightweights – but one who’s dropped three of his past four … Torres (15-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) had three straight first-round stoppage bonus-winners before he was upset by Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC 306 – a loss he wants to erase in front of his home fans.

Drew Dober vs. Manuel Torres UFC Mexico expert pick, prediction

The co-main event in Mexico City features an insane action fight at lightweight between [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] and [autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag].

Despite his boyish good looks, Dober has been spilling blood under the UFC banner for over a decade now, so it’s nice to see him get some love with the co-headliner slot.

Torres, on the other hand, has not been here long but has certainly made his presence known.

An underrated submission threat with knockout power in both hands, there are plenty of directions that Torres can hypothetically take a fight. That said, we’ve yet to see the Mexican against a dedicated southpaw at this level, so I’ll be curious to see if “El Loco” is even more susceptible to counters in the open stance.

Luckily for Torres, Dober’s aggressive style will allow for ample opportunities to catch the American early.

Still, I can’t help but side with experience and superior technique, so I’ll take Dober to come out on top via a knockout in Round 1.

Drew Dober vs. Manuel Torres UFC Mexico odds

The oddsmakers and the public are keeping the betting lines tight, listing Dober -118 and Torres -104 via FanDuel.

Drew Dober vs. Manuel Torres UFC Mexico start time, how to watch

Dober and Torres are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 9:15 p.m. ET. The fight airs on ESPN2 and streams on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.

UFC on ESPN 64: Manuel Torres vs. Drew Dober odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 64 odds between Manuel Torres vs. Drew Dober, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round lightweight bout on the main card, Manuel Torres and Drew Dober meet at UFC on ESPN 64 Saturday at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s UFC odds around the UFC on ESPN 64: Torres vs. Dober odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims start at 4 p.m. ET with the main card beginning at 7 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN+).

Records: Torres (15-3-0) | Dober (27-14-0)

The 30-year-old Torres fights in front of his fellow countrymen at Arena CDMX in Ciudad de Mexico. The switch-stance fighter takes the walk with a 3-inch reach advantage over the veteran American fighter Dober.

Torres also holds a 7.17-to-4.39 significant strikes landed per minute advantage, while also landing those strikes at 56.57% to only 45.44% for the 36-year-old southpaw. In addition, Torres has managed a 2.26 takedown average, while Dober has posted just a 0.67 TD Average.

Torres suffered a Round 1 KO/TKO loss to Ignacio Bahamondes last time out at UFC 306 – Riyadh Season Noche UFC in mid-September 2024. That halted a 3-bout in streak to start his UFC career. All 3 of the victories came in Round 1, too.

Dober has suffered back-to-back losses to Jean Silva and Renato Moicano since his most recent victory Oct. 7, 2023 against Ricky Glenn via KO/TKO in Round 1. He is just 1-3 in his past 4 fights, too.

The southpaw Dober has seen 6 of his past 7 fights end via KO/TKO, with a TKO – Doctor’s Stoppage loss in Round 3 against Silva last time out, and he is 4-2 in those 6 KO/TKO results since March 12, 2022.

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UFC on ESPN 64: Torres vs. Dober odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:25 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Torres -115 (bet $115 to win $100) | Dober -105 (bet $105 to win $100)
  • Total rounds: 1.5 (Over +140 | Under -190)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +450 | No -800)

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UFC on ESPN 64: Torres vs. Dober picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

TORRES (-115) is fine to play on the 2-way line, either as a singular play, or as part of a multi-leg parlay.

Torres has the leg up on Dober because he is fighting in his native land, so the crowd will be heavily on his side.

Don’t underestimate the fact that this fight is at elevation, too, and Torres is much more acclimated to fighting in Mexico City, where Dober could struggle with his cardio more than a mile above sea level.

TORRES BY KO/TKO OR DQ (+200) is worth a look for the chance to double up on the method of victory on the 7-way line.

Over/Under (O/U)

UNDER 1.5 ROUNDS (-190) will cost you nearly 2 times your potential return, and that’s only worth playing as part of a multi-leg parlay, or with an odds boost.

As far as the ‘Will the fight go the distance?’ prop, you cannot play No (-800), which sets you back 8 times your potential return. Either straight up, or as part of a multi-leg parlay, including this prop makes absolutely no sense. There is just no value here otherwise.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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UFC on ESPN 64 full card final faceoffs: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer, Raul Rosas Jr., more

The entire 13-bout lineup for Saturday’s UFC Mexico had final staredowns with a range of emotions on display.

MEXICO CITY – The build to UFC on ESPN 64 is now complete after Friday’s ceremonial weigh-in session, where the entire card had the opportunity to face off in front of fans and media.

With 13 contests scheduled, including a Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg flyweight headliner, there are some meaningful bouts set to go down on Saturday at Arena CDMX (ESPN2, ESPN+).

Supporting bouts include [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag], [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag], and [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag].

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The athletes had a final opportunity to get a good look at what they will be sharing the octagon with, and you can watch the video of all the UFC on ESPN 64 pre-fight staredowns in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.

 

Drew Dober before UFC on ESPN 64: Mexicans ‘are gonna fall in love with the way I fight’

Drew Dober is happy to label himself the “diet Justin Gaethje” of the UFC and can’t wait to show Mexican fight fans what he’s made of.

MEXICO CITY – Inarguably one of the UFC’s preeminent action fighters, [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]’s description of where he’s at in his career might be spot on.

“I’m like the diet Justin Gaethje,” Dober told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Wednesday at UFC on ESPN 64 media day. “He’s up there fighting all those (top-ranked) guys, and I’m down here fighting all these guys. I just love being part of the lightweight division. It’s just murderer’s row, every single fight, and I really enjoy fighting these prospects.”

On deck for Dober is a Fight of the Night candidate against Manuel Torres in the co-main event of Saturday’s card (ESPN, ESPN+) at Arena CDMX. Torres, who made his UFC debut in 2022 after appearing on Dana White’s Contender Series, hasn’t competed beyond the first round in four octagon appearances as he’s claimed three fight night bonuses.

Dober (27-14 MMA, 13-10 UFC), who’s set to become just the seventh fighter to make 25 or more UFC lightweight appearances, understands why he and Torres (15-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) have been paired up.

“It’s completely understandable why we’re fighting each other,” Dober said. “He’s young, enthusiastic, he punches hard, and so do I. These are the fights that I want to live for. These are the fights that I’m fighting for. You only fight for a short period of time in your life, and you only have 15 minutes when you’re in there. So I want to make the most of every single time I’m in front of you guys, and this fight is gonna be quality.”

The fact that Dober, who has five fight night bonuses in his past eight appearances, is fighting in the main event is cool. But even cooler to him is that gets to fight in Mexico, a country rich in combat sports history.

“Actually found out I was co-main event like a week ago. That’s very exciting,” Dober said. “But the most exciting part was Mexico City. I finally get to fight out of my country again in Mexico with a ton of fight fans. Mexico loves their fighting, and I think they’re going to fall in love with the way I fight, and I’m so excited to be here.”

“… I feel like I’m aging like wine. I look young, I feel good, I have no major surgeries, and my fights are looking better. I’m just gonna keep rolling on this train for as long as possible, and I don’t think about the end to be honest. I want to fight always like this is my last fight ever. I want to be enthusiastic, so my goals are to have as many fights as I possibly can, as many opportunities to be in front of you guys, and to put in wars that people can remember for as long as I possibly can. Who knows? I might be one of those guys fighting into my 40s.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.

UFC on ESPN 59 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2024 total passes $4 million

The UFC has now issued more than $4 million in Promotional Guidelines Compliance to its fighters in 2024 after UFC Denver.

DENVER – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 59 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $180,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 59 took place at Ball Arena in Colorado. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 59 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Tracy Cortez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Gabriel Bonfim[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag]: $11,000
vs. [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jasmine Jasudavicius[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Fatima Kline[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Luana Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mariya Agapova[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Evan Elder[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Darrius Flowers[/autotag]: $4,500

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $31,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-59 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $4,129,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $26,866,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.

UFC on ESPN 59 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

UFC on ESPN 59 results: Jean Silva opens nasty gash on Drew Dober for short notice TKO

Jean Silva picked up his second win in two weeks by slicing Drew Dober on the main card of UFC on ESPN 59 in Denver.

[autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag] entered enemy territory on short notice to face an always-dangerous Drew Dober, and picked up his second win in two weeks.

At UFC on ESPN 59 at Ball Arena in Denver, Silva (14-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) not only stepped up as a replacement for the injured Mike Davis, but also moved up a weight class to meet Dober (27-14 MMA, 13-10 UFC) at lightweight. The fight turned out to be an incredible battle that ended at 1:28 of Round 3 due to a nasty cut over Dober’s right eye.

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Early on, it was apparent the judges’ input was not likely to be needed. The feel-out process didn’t last long, as Dober and Silva began firing hard shots as the opening round progressed. The cut that would eventually lead to the stoppage of the fight was opened on Dober during an exchange.

In Round 2, the striking intensity continued at a high pace as Dober stalked forward. In the closing moments, a Silva spinning back elbow connected flush to Dober, rocking him in a big moment just before the horn.

The ringside doctor assessed Dober’s cut between rounds, but the fight was allowed to continue.

Silva continued to land well in the final round, causing the cut to open up even more, and became too much for referee Herb Dean to ignore. After the doctor took another look, the fight was waved off.

Silva competed two weeks prior at UFC 303, defeating Charles Jordain in a featherweight bout by second-round knockout. However, the victory was tained by Silva’s weight miss by 1.5 pounds.

Dober failed to return to the win column after dropping a unanimous decision to Renato Moicano in February.

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Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 59 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.

Jean Silva def. Drew Dober at UFC on ESPN 59: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Jean Silva’s third-round TKO win over Drew Dober at UFC on ESPN 59.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag]’s third-round TKO win over [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 59 at Ball Arena in Denver. (Fight and venue photos by Ron Chenoy, USA Today Sports)