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.
When Nasrat Haqparast made his UFC debut, he was dubbed “Mini Kelvin Gastelum.” Finally, the two proved they’re different people.
When [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] made his UFC debut, he was dubbed “Mini [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag].”
There’s a striking resemblance between the young Afghanistan-born Haqparast and middleweight contender Gastelum, who decided to finally grace us with a photo together.
Haqparast takes on Drew Dober on Saturday at UFC 246 and will be looking to notch his fourth straight win. The hard-hitting lightweight doesn’t only resemble Gastelum looks-wise, he also packs a lot of power in his punches, making him one of the most exciting prospects in the division.
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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+.
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.
The best facts and figures about UFC 246, which features plenty of action outside of the Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone main event.
UFC 246 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with a 12-fight main card set to air on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
Although the majority of focus is on the welterweight headliner (which has plenty of interesting numbers behind it), the remaining bouts offer a little of something for everyone, including another key women’s bantamweight rematch between [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) and [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC).
For more on the numbers behind UFC 246, check below for 45 pre-event facts.
* * * *
Co-main event
Holm is 2-5 in her past seven UFC appearances dating back to November 2015, when she won the UFC women’s bantamweight title.
Holm’s four consecutive losses in UFC title fights are the most for any female in company history.
Holm’s two head-kick knockout victories in UFC competition are the most of any female in company history.
Holm is one of seven fighters in UFC history to win a championship fight by head-kick knockout. She accomplished the feat at UFC 193.
Holm has been awarded three fight-night bonuses for UFC women’s bantamweight fights, the third most in divisional history behind Ronda Rousey (7) and Nunes (4).
Raquel Pennington
Pennington competes in her 12th UFC women’s bantamweight bout, tied with Nunes for the most appearances in divisional history.
Pennington’s seven victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Nunes (11).
Pennington’s two submission victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Rousey (3).
Pennington is one of six fighters in UFC history to earn a bulldog-choke submission victory. She accomplished the feat against Ashlee-Evans Smith at UFC 181.
Featured bout
Aleksei Oleinik
[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (57-13-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC), 42, is the oldest active fighter in the UFC heavyweight division and is the oldest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Oleinik becomes the first fighter in MMA history to have professional bouts across four decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s).
Oleinik’s average fight time of 5:01 in UFC heavyweight fights is fourth shortest in divisional history behind Cyril Asker (3:24), Todd Duffee (3:26) and Shane Carwin (4:55).
Oleinik has earned 53 of his 57 career victories by stoppage. That includes his past 16 wins, 11 of which have come in the first round.
Oleinik has earned 45 of his 57 career victories by submission. Of those stoppages, 37 have come in the first round.
Oleinik’s five submission victories in UFC heavyweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Frank Mir (8) and Stefan Struve (6).
Oleinik has earned both of the Ezekiel-choke submission victories in UFC history. He accomplished the feat at UFC 224 and UFC Fight Night 103.
Oleinik attempts 2.4 submissions per 15 minutes of fighting in UFC heavyweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history.
[autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is one of two heavyweights in UFC history to earn a submission by triangle choke. Struve owns two wins with the technique.
Remaining main card
Claudia Gadelha
[autotag]Claudia Gadelha[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) competes in her 11th UFC strawweight bout, tied for the third most appearances in divisional history behind Randa Markos (13) and Angela Hill (12).
Gadelha’s six victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (9) and Jessica Andrade (7).
Gadelha has alternated wins and losses over her past five fights. She won her most recent bout at UFC 239 in July.
Gadelha’s 33 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Carla Esparza for the most in divisional history.
Gadelha has been awarded three fight-night bonuses for UFC strawweight bouts, tied for the third most in divisional history behind Andrade (6) and Rose Namajunas (4).
[autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over her past six fights. She lost her most recent bout at UFC on ESPN+ 17 in September.
Anthony Pettis
[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (22-9 MMA, 9-8 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past nine fights. Her lost his most recent bout at UFC 241 in August.
Pettis returns to the lightweight division for the first time since November 2018. He went 1-1 during his stint at welterweight.
Pettis is one of nine fighters in UFC history to earn victories in three weight classes.
Pettis is 4-7 in his past 11 UFC appearance dating back to when he lost the UFC lightweight title in March 2015.
Pettis has earned 18 of his 22 career victories by stoppage. That includes seven of his nine UFC wins.
Pettis’ five submission victories from a bottom position in UFC/WEC competition are tied with Diaz for most in combined company history.
[autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag]’s (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) five-fight UFC winning streak at lightweight is the fifth longest active streak in the division behind Tony Ferguson (12), Khabib Nurmagomedov (11), Islam Makhachev (6) and Charles Oliveira (6).
Preliminary card
Roxanne Modafferi
[autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag] (23-16 MMA, 2-4 UFC) competes in her sixth UFC women’s flyweight bout, tied with Gillian Robertson for the most appearances in divisional history.
Modafferi is 8-5 since her initial UFC release in November 2013.
Modafferi has alternated wins and losses over her past six fights. She lost her most recent bout at UFC on ESPN 4 in July
Maycee Barber
[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), 21, is the youngest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Barber is 2-0 since she moved up to the UFC women’s flyweight division in March.
Barber has earned seven of her eight career victories by stoppage. She’s won all three of her UFC fights by knockout.
Barber’s three-fight knockout streak in UFC competition is tied with Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg for the longest such streak in women’s company history.
[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has landed at least one knockdown against all four of his UFC opponents.
[autotag]Justin Ledet[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) is 0-2 since he dropped to the UFC light heavyweight division in July.
Ledet’s 113 significant strikes landed against Chase Sherman at UFC Fight Night 92 are tied for the second most by any debuting UFC heavyweight behind Tim Sylvia’s 138 at UFC 39.
Tim Elliott
[autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag] (15-9-1 MMA, 4-7 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past six fights. He lost his most recent bout at UFC on ESPN+ 19 in October.
Elliott is 2-3 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in December 2016.
Elliott’s 36 takedowns landed in UFC flyweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Demetrious Johnson (58) and Wilson Reis (44).
Elliott lands 63.2 percent of his takedown attempts in UFC flyweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history.
[autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag] (19-10 MMA, 3-3 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Dec. 29, 2018. The 385-day layoff is the longest of his nearly nine-year career.
[autotag]J.J. Aldrich[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is 1-1 since she moved up to the UFC women’s flyweight division in March.
Aldrich has earned all four of her UFC victories by decision.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
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.
“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+
The Germany-born lightweight will compete in the United States for the first time when he takes on Drew Dober at UFC 246.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] is focused entering Saturday night.
The German-born lightweight will compete in the United States for the first time when he takes on Drew Dober at UFC 246. However, Haqparast (11-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) isn’t letting the bright lights of such a big event deter him from the task at hand.
“It’s a great moment,” Haqparast told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “I’ve been a big UFC fan since I was a kid. This is a dream come true, but at the same time we need to remain focused. (We can’t) get impressed by all of the things outside of the fights – but it feels good for sure.”
On the topic of Dober (21-9 MMA, 7-5 UFC), Haqparast was complimentary yet confident. The Tristar product said he respects Dober’s striking abilities and veteran savvy. However, Haqparast considers himself a new breed of athlete.
“It’s a fun matchup,” Haqparast said. “Drew is a great striker. He’s a tough guy. He’s experienced, you know? From fight to fight, I take every opponent seriously. I just think this is the fight of my life. I need to fight until my death. I need to prepare like it’s the last day of my life. We take it very seriously and I look forward to Saturday.”
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When he envisions the fight playing out, Haqparast believes his victory will be attributed to two factors: preparation and commitment.
“The only thing I know is that I’m going to win,” Haqparast said. “I know that I train harder. I sacrifice much more. I don’t know the outcome. I don’t know how I’m going to win, but I know for sure I’m going to win. There’s only this outcome Saturday.”
UFC 246 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Check out MMA Junkie’s full pre-fight interview with Nasrat Haqparast in the video above.
Check out Maycee Barber, Sodiq Yusuff and four more young prospects who are fighting at UFC 246 in Las Vegas later this month.
UFC 246 may be a top-heavy card, but it’s not short of potential future stars.
The night will be headlined by former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who takes on [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-13 MMA, 23-10 UFC) in a welterweight bout.
In the co-main event, former UFC bantamweight champ [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) will rematch [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC), a bout that was rescheduled from UFC 243 due to an injury suffered by Holm. Their first meeting took place at UFC 184, where Holm edged out Pennington by split decision to make good on her UFC debut.
The card also features an array of young and bright talent, varying from Dana White’s Contender Series veterans to European talent.
Here are six prospects to look out for Jan. 18:
Maycee Barber
Hailed as “The Future,” [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] has lived up to her moniker so far. The Dana White’s Contender Series veteran is off to an undefeated start in her pro MMA career, and at only 21 has goals of becoming the youngest champion in UFC history.
Barber (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) started her UFC tenure at strawweight, where she picked up a third-round finish over Jamie Colleen to earn a UFC contract. She followed that up with a second-round finish over Hannah Cifers in her official UFC debut in November 2018.
She then decided to make the move up to flyweight since she thought the cut down to 115 pounds was detrimental to her body. Her success continued: She was able to score two more finishes over J.J. Aldrich and Gillian Robertson.
Up next is her stiffest test to date: a matchup against former UFC flyweight title challenger Roxanne Modafferi, 16 years her senior. She may be entering the fight as a heavy favorite, but there’s a lot of upside on the young Barber, who could propel herself one step closer to title contention, with a win on Jan. 18.
A new decade is upon us, and these 20 fighters could take a step to greatness within it.
Well, another decade of mixed martial arts action is in the books.
The 2010s featured the emergence of superstars such as Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, and Ronda Rousey. For the first time in UFC history, a simultaneous double champion was crowned in McGregor. And then it happened again (Daniel Cormier, and again (Amanda Nunes, and again (Henry Cejudo).
The next decade is almost guaranteed to provide us with the next generation of UFC, Bellator, and PFL champions. But who are the likely candidates to become future stars?
From hot UFC and Bellator prospects, to fighters on the regional scene, to athletes yet to compete in MMA, the up-and-comer harvest is plentiful. Who could be the next McGregor? The next Israel Adesanya? The next Zhang Weili?
Let’s take a look into MMA Junkie’s crystal ball and see who could cross the threshold into stardom over the span of the next decade.
Two parameters were set for this list:
Fighters must be younger than age 30.
Fighters have yet to hold a major organization’s title.
Fighters who fit the criteria but have seemingly already achieved stardom were not considered.
Without further ado …
****
Maycee Barber
Record: 8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC Age: 21 Weight class: Flyweight Height: 5’5″
Birthplace: Greeley, Colo.
Next Fight: Jan. 18 vs. Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 246 in Las Vegas
Nicknamed “The Future,” [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] is just that. The strawweight has proven her worth in a short period of time, competing for LFA and on Dana White’s Contender Series prior to her UFC debut. Three fights into her promotional tenure, Barber sports a 100 percent finishing rate. In her most recent outing in October, Barber blitzed and TKO’d fellow top prospect Gillian Robertson. The win moved Barber one step closer to her publicly set goal of becoming the youngest UFC champion ever. She’ll look to continue her climb when she takes on her highest-ranked opponent to date, Roxanne Modafferi, at UFC 246 on Jan. 18.
It almost seems like a misprint that [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] can qualify for this list – but he does. It’s easy to forget his age and relatively brief UFC tenure when looking at his accomplishments. A physical specimen, the Brazilian middleweight Costa has quickly risen through the ranks en route to title contention. Costa went the distance for the first time in his career in August. In doing so, he defeated his most notable opponent to date, two-time title challenger Yoel Romero. The victory presumably has set Costa up for a title shot against champion Israel Adesanya. However, a shoulder injury has delayed “Borrachinha’s” return – but the rivalry with Adesanya is continuing to build in the meantime.
Mike Davis
Record: 8-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC Age: 27 Weight class: Lightweight Height: 6’0″
Birthplace: South Cairo, N.Y.
Next Fight: TBA
With an 80 percent winning percentage, [autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag] doesn’t have a bad record by any means. But still, it isn’t representative of the skills he possesses. The Florida-based lightweight has only lost two top-tier talents in Sodiq Yusuff and Gilbert Burns. With crisp boxing and a strong ground game, Davis is a scary matchup for any member of the UFC’s 155-pound division. Just imagine how good he could become. The man hasn’t even hit the dozen-fight mark of his pro MMA career. In his most recent bout, Davis administered one of the year’s biggest beatdowns, pummeling Thomas Gifford at UFC on ESPN+ 19 in October.
Ciryl Gane
Record: 6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC Age: 29 Weight class: Heavyweight Height: 6’5″
Birthplace: France
Next Fight: TBA
It’s been a long time since MMA has seen a heavyweight prospect with the upside of [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]. Working under esteemed MMA coach Fernand Lopez, France’s Gane has served as a main training partner for Francis Ngannou. Now, it’s his time. Possessing many of the same skills as Ngannou, Gane also brings some differences to the table. His athleticism and quickness is unusual for a heavyweight. Possessing a strong kickboxing background, Gane has shown he’s evolved past being a one-dimensional competitor. In two out of his three UFC outings, Gane has won by submission.
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]
