March 26, 2025 5:10 pm ET
MEXICO CITY – Inarguably one of many UFC’s preeminent motion fighters, Drew Dober’s description of the place he’s at in his profession could be spot on.
“I’m just like the food regimen Justin Gaethje,” Dober instructed reporters, together with MMA Junkie, on Wednesday at UFC on ESPN 64 media day. “He’s up there preventing all these (top-ranked) guys, and I’m down right here preventing all these guys. I simply love being a part of the light-weight division. It’s simply assassin’s row, each single struggle, and I actually take pleasure in preventing these prospects.”
On deck for Dober is a Battle of the Evening candidate towards Manuel Torres within the co-main occasion of Saturday’s card (ESPN, ESPN+) at Area CDMX. Torres, who made his UFC debut in 2022 after showing on Dana White’s Contender Sequence, hasn’t competed past the primary spherical in 4 octagon appearances as he’s claimed three struggle night time bonuses.
Dober (27-14 MMA, 13-10 UFC), who’s set to turn out to be simply 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 fully comprehensible why we’re preventing one another,” Dober stated. “He’s younger, enthusiastic, he punches onerous, and so do I. These are the fights that I need to stay for. These are the fights that I’m preventing for. You solely struggle for a brief time period in your life, and also you solely have quarter-hour if you’re in there. So I need to profit from each single time I’m in entrance of you guys, and this struggle is gonna be high quality.”
The truth that Dober, who has 5 struggle night time bonuses in his previous eight appearances, is preventing in the primary occasion is cool. However even cooler to him is that will get to struggle in Mexico, a rustic wealthy in fight sports activities historical past.
“Truly discovered I used to be co-main occasion like per week in the past. That’s very thrilling,” Dober stated. “However essentially the most thrilling half was Mexico Metropolis. I lastly get to struggle out of my nation once more in Mexico with a ton of struggle followers. Mexico loves their preventing, and I believe they’re going to fall in love with the way in which I struggle, and I’m so excited to be right here.”
“… I really feel like I’m getting old like wine. I look younger, I really feel good, I’ve no main surgical procedures, and my fights are wanting higher. I’m simply gonna maintain rolling on this prepare for so long as attainable, and I don’t take into consideration the tip to be trustworthy. I need to struggle all the time like that is my final struggle ever. I need to be enthusiastic, so my objectives are to have as many fights as I probably can, as many alternatives to be in entrance of you guys, and to place in wars that folks can keep in mind for so long as I probably can. Who is aware of? I could be a type of guys preventing into my 40s.”
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