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WICHITA, Kan. – The stage is set for Drew Dober to achieve the biggest moment of his career Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 4. However, he couldn’t have gotten there by himself.
After putting together a three-fight winning streak, Dober (20-8 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has been out of action seven months. He couldn’t get a fight he felt would progress his career in the UFC lightweight division, and he realized being self-managed wasn’t helping his cause.
Dober signed with Ballengee Group to serve as his representation, and not long after he was booked against Beneil Dariush (15-4-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC), who has hovered around the top 20 or higher at 155 pounds for some time.
“It was too long (without a fight),” Dober told MMAjunkie. “I was requesting fights, requesting fights and nothing was coming up from it. I wanted to ride that win streak and continue the momentum. I was patient, and this fight is fantastic, but I’m not satisfied fighting twice a year. I want more than that.”
Dober said Ballengee Group not only helped him get a noteworthy fight, but the management team is helping raise his profile outside of the cage, as well. At 30 and on the best run of his UFC tenure, he said the time is now to make his move.
“I feel like I’m really coming into my potential,” Dober said. “A three-fight win streak isn’t enough. We want more.”
UFC on ESPN+ 4 takes place INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan. The entire card streams on ESPN+.
Dober will have his chance to truly prove his worth against Dariush, who has fought upper-tier competition. Dober called him “a dangerous opponent.”
The opponents won’t get any less dangerous as Dober attempts to climb the ranks of arguably the deepest division in the sport, and he knows he must show he belongs at UFC on ESPN+ 4.
“I’m a very theatrical fighter, so I usually come out and stand and trade, but I have a lot of skill sets. I’ve made a lot of improvements since last fight, and I want to come in and showcase that,” Dober said. “I’ve definitely got to be weary.
“Of course, I’m going to be chasing that finish and looking for that finish for 15 minutes because nobody wants to watch a boring wrestle-fest. Everyone wants to see what they paid money to see, and I’m willing to give it to them.”
For more on UFC on ESPN+ 4, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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