Tag: Drew Dober

UFC 246 post-event facts: Conor McGregor enters rarefied air with finish of Donald Cerrone

The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 246, which saw Conor McGregor knock out Donald Cerrone in the main event.

The UFC’s first event of 2020 went down Saturday with UFC 246, which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and with a main card that aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

In the main event, former two-division UFC champ [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) made his glorious return to the octagon when he stopped [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-14 MMA, 23-11 UFC) by TKO just 40 seconds into the welterweight headliner. With the win, “The Notorious” achieved a knockout in his third different weight class.

For more on the numbers to come out of the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 40 post-event facts to come out of UFC 246.

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General

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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $165,000.

McGregor, [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag], [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag], [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] and [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC 246 fight-night bonuses.

UFC 246 marked the first event in company history with five “Performance of the Night” awards.

Debuting fighters went 1-1 on the card.

UFC 246 drew an announced attendance of 19,040 for a live gate of $11,089,129.30.

UFC 246’s live gate total was the fourth highest in company history.

Betting favorites went 6-4 on the card. One fight had even odds.

Total fight time for the 11-bout card was 1:51:03.

Main card

Conor McGregor

McGregor improved to 2-1 in welterweight competition.

McGregor has earned 19 of his 22 career victories by knockout. He’s earned 17 of those finishes in the first round.

McGregor has earned eight of his 10 UFC victories by stoppage.

McGregor became the second in UFC history to earn knockout victories in three different weight classes. Jared Cannonier also accomplished the feat.

Cerrone fell to 6-5 in UFC welterweight competition.

Holly Holm

[autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) has earned four of her six UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (10-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) has suffered six of her eight career losses by decision.

Oleinik (58-13-1 MMA, 7-4 UFC) became the first in MMA history to earn victories in four different decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s).

Oleinik has earned 54 of his 58 career victories by stoppage. That includes all seven of his UFC wins.

Oleinik has earned 46 of his 58 career victories by submission.

Oleinik’s six submission victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Stefan Struve for second most in divisional history behind Frank Mir (eight).

[autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag] (8-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) suffered the first submission loss of his career.

Kelleher (20-10 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has earned 16 of his 20 career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by submission.

Diego Ferreira

Ferreira’s (17-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) six-fight UFC winning streak in lightweight competition is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind Tony Ferguson (12) and Khabib Nurmagomedov (11).

[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (22-10 MMA, 9-9 UFC) was unsuccessful in his return to the lightweight division.

Pettis fell to 4-8 in his past 12 UFC appearance dating back to when he lost the UFC lightweight title in March 2015.

Pettis suffered the first true submission loss of his career.

Preliminary card

Roxanne Modafferi

[autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag] (24-16 MMA, 3-4 UFC) improved to 9-5 since her initial UFC release in November 2013.

Modafferi has earned 15 of her 24 career victories by decision.

Modafferi has alternated wins and losses over her past seven fights.

[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) had her eight-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.

Barber fell to 2-1 since she moved up to the UFC women’s flyweight division in March.

[autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag]’s (11-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at featherweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Arnold Allen (six), Zabit Magomedsharipov (six) and Alexander Volkanovski (six).

[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] (11-0-1 MMA, 1-0-1 UFC) earned the first decision victory of his career.

[autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag] (15-10-1 MMA, 4-8 UFC) fell to 2-4 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in December 2016.

Elliott has suffered five of his eight UFC losses by decision.

Elliott’s 39 takedowns landed in UFC flyweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Demetrious Johnson (58) and Wilson Reis (44).

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.on.

[autotag]Aleksa Camur[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) earned the first decision victory of his career.

[autotag]Justin Ledet[/autotag]’s (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since September 2017.

Ledet fell to 0-3 since he dropped to the UFC light-heavyweight division in July 2018.

[autotag]Sabina Mazo[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned both of her UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]J.J. Aldrich[/autotag] (8-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) fell to 1-2 since she moved up to the UFC women’s flyweight division in March 2019.

Aldrich has suffered two of her three UFC losses by decision.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

Drew Dober sets sights on champ Khabib after second straight quick win at UFC 246

Take a look inside Drew Dober’s first-round knockout of Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 246 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] beat Nasrat Haqparast with a first-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 246 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Dober, who has won five of his past six fights.

Result: Drew Dober def. Nasrat Haqparast via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:10
Updated records: Drew Dober (21-9 MMA, 7-5 UFC) vs. Nasrat Haqparast (11-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC)
Key stat: Dober has back-to-back knockout wins, both in 70 seconds or less.

Dober on the fight’s key moment

“I think this is a huge statement win for me. He’s carrying a huge fan base, especially internationally, and he’s very talented, so I just wanted to go out there and showcase what I’m capable of.”

Dober on training in Denver

“Team Elevation has been amazing for me with the coaching staff and training partners that I have. I feel like I’m just coming into my prime. To be honest, I’ve had 56 fights and I’ve fought a lot of talented guys, so I never really say no to a fight. He brought in a lot of hype, but I know what I’m capable of and I showed it.”

Dober on what he wants next

“I’m going to take a much needed break after this, but then I’m ready for top 10, top 15 – whoever ends up saying yes. I want to go back and watch the fight again and perfect anything I need to, but then it’s right back to racking up cage time. I want to fight (lightweight champion) Khabib (Nurmagomedov) and anyone below him on that list, so the first guy to say yes will get it.”

To hear more from Dober, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

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UFC 246 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Donald Cerrone doubles up on Conor McGregor

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 246 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $165,000.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 246 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $165,000.

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 246 took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

The full UFC 246 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Aleksa Camur[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Justin Ledet[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Sabina Mazo[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]J.J. Aldrich[/autotag]: $5,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’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 $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $165,000
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $31,169,500

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC 246 with Led Zeppelin, Garth Brooks, Conor McGregor’s return

Check out the complete list of fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC 246 event.

While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.

Inside, see what the fighters from UFC 246 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11, Page 12

UFC 246 bonuses: Conor McGregor leads pack of five $50,000 winners

Conor McGregor, Aleksei Oleinik, Brian Kellher, Diego Ferreira and Drew Dober each earned $50,000 bonuses at Saturday’s UFC 246 event.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag], [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag], [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] and [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] each earned $50,000 bonuses for their performances at Saturday’s UFC 246 event.

The fighters took “Performance of the Night” honors – with the UFC giving out five awards instead of its typical four. No “Fight of the Night” was awarded. Each of the five had finishes in their fights; the other six winners on the card won by decisions.

UFC officials announced the winners following the event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) needed just 40 seconds to stop the UFC’s all-time wins leader, Donald Cerrone (36-14 MMA, 23-11 UFC), in the main event. McGregor hadn’t won a fight in more than three years and was returning from a 15-month layoff. The controversial Irishman, known more for his issues outside the cage than in it the past year, finally put some shine back on his fighting skills with the kind of destruction that hadn’t befallen the legendary “Cowboy” before in his long career.

Oleinik (58-13-1 MMA, 7-4 UFC) had to put some work in to submit Maurice Greene (8-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in the second round. But after working hard for a submission in the first, he finally got one late in the second – his 58th career victory.

Kelleher (20-10 MMA, 4-3 UFC) had his fight against Ode Osbourne (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) moved to the main card Friday after the weigh-ins. He took advantage of the prime spot with an upset of Osbourne midway through the first round with a guillotine choke.

Ferreira (17-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) picked up arguably the biggest win of his career with a second-round submission of former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis (22-10 MMA, 9-9 UFC). Ferreira won for the sixth straight time and won by submission for the first time since June 2014.

Dober (22-9 MMA, 8-5 UFC) took out heavy favorite Nasrat Haqparast (11-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) with a TKO just 70 seconds into the first round. Haqparast was more than a 3-1 favorite, but Dober picked up his second straight knockout in 70 seconds or less.

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UFC 246 video: Drew Dober violently pounds out Nasrat Haqparast

Drew Dober proved a lot of people wrong at UFC 246 on Saturday night.

By most standards, [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] made a statement Saturday at UFC 246.

The Team Elevation lightweight entered his preliminary card bout with [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] as nearly a 3-to-1 underdog average across major online sports books (per BestFightOdds), but none of that mattered in the end.

As the clock ticked past the one-minute mark of the opening round, Dober (22-9 MMA, 8-5 UFC) landed a massive overhand left that dropped Haqparast (11-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC).

As Tristar’s Haqparast struggled to regain his senses, Dober didn’t let him off the hook. Leaping into half guard, Dober landed a series of hard left hands – 11, to be exact. And as the 11th blow connected, referee Mark Smith stepped in to call off the contest at 1:10 of Round 1.

Check out Dober’s first-round UFC 246 knockout of Haqparast in the video clip below:

With the finish, Dober scores his second straight victory. The 31-year-old lightweight has won five out of his six most recent outings dating back to July 2017. His lone loss came at the hands of Beneil Dariush in March.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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Conor McGregor in one word: What UFC fighters think of ‘The Notorious’

Ahead of Conor McGregor’s return at UFC 246, check out how fighters describe the sport’s biggest star.

Ahead of Conor McGregor’s return at UFC 246, check out how fighters describe the sport’s biggest star.

UFC 246’s Drew Dober feels like he’s just coming into his prime

Having won four of his last five, Drew Dober sees himself as a late bloomer, who’s only starting to hit his prime now.

LAS VEGAS — [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] is starting to come into his own.

He takes on highly touted [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] at UFC 246 on Saturday night, and having won four of his past five bouts, Dober (21-9-1 MMA, 7-5-1 UFC) attributes his recent success to Team Elevation.

“It’s just that change I made with Team Elevation,” Dober told MMA Junkie. “Training with Team Elevation, there was definitely a transition period, but now since I was settled in and just listening to all these coaches and competitors around me and being 31 years of age, I think everything is coming together. I’ve always considered myself a late bloomer, so I’m hitting my prime now and I’m getting better, faster, stronger every single day at the gym, and I look forward to showcasing it Jan. 18.”

Dober’s lone loss in his past five fights came to Beneil Dariush, a fight he was winning before a critical mistake cost him the fight. In Haqparast, he draws an equally exciting fighter, who likes to come forward and take guys out.

“Yup that’s pretty much I feel why they put us together,” Dober said. “Both him and I like to stand and trade and look for a knockout, so we’re definitely going to start this fight card off nice.”

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Since dropping his UFC debut, Haqparast (11-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has won his last three straight and is coming off a “Performance of the Night” knockout over Joaquim Silva.

But Dober, who’s coming off of a finish of his own over Marco Reyes, says he’s grown accustomed to fighting that style of opponent.

“He’s pretty impressive,” Dober said. “Southpaw striker, he’s patient, he finds a home for his left hand, but I’ve fought guys who’ve looked to knock me out or as tough as he is, so it’s nothing new to me. I’m going to go in there and do my thing and look for that victory.”

“He has a large fanbase,” Dober added. “Since the fight got announced, even my Instagram got pumped up, so yeah, I really enjoy this hype, and I look forward to testing it out in the cage.”

They will get to compete on a card headlined by the returning former double champ Conor McGregor, who takes on fan-favorite Donald Cerrone.

And Dober is happy that the card turned out to be a big pay-per-view event.

“Oh yeah, it’s super exciting,” Dober said. “When I got the fight offer, there was a whole lot of questions around it. I just had the date and the opponent and I was like, ‘Sure, why not,’ but I could definitely see how Conor pulls the strings. It all depended on what Conor was doing, where we were fighting and all that stuff, but it’s super exciting to be on that card. I get to see all the stuff happen backstage.”

“Conor and ‘Cowboy’ are drawing in the eyes, and so it’s my responsibility to entertain the fans.”

Training with the likes of bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen, lightweight contender Justin Gaethje and welterweight standout Neil Magny, Dober is confident that on Jan. 18, he gets to derail the hype of the young Haqparast.

“That all depends on if Nasrat wants to fall over in the first or in the third but I’m just going to showcase heart, perseverance and all of the training I’ve been doing,” Dober said.

UFC 246 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+

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UFC 246’s 13-bout lineup finalized with Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone headliner

Check out the finalized lineup and broadcast plans for UFC 246, which takes place Jan. 18 in Las Vegas.

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The UFC will kick off 2020 with the long-awaited return of arguably its most bankable fighter.

UFC 246 takes place Jan. 18 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

The main event features a welterweight bout between former dual-division champion [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and former lightweight title challenger [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-13 MMA, 23-10 UFC).

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In the co-main event, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) will take on [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in a rematch from a 2015 bout in which Holm edged out Pennington in her UFC debut. The rematch originally was scheduled to take place at UFC 243 in October, but Holm was forced out due to a hamstring injury.

Also on the card is former UFC lightweight champ [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag], Dana White’s Contender Series standouts [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] and [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag], and more.

The full UFC 246 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone
  • Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington
  • [autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Claudia Gadelha[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] vs. Anthony Pettis

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Maycee Barber vs. [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag] vs. Sodiq Yusuff
  • [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Chas Skelly[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)

  • [autotag]Aleksa Camur[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Ledet[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]
  • [autotag]J.J. Aldrich[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sabina Mazo[/autotag]

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