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Beneil Dariush tipped to ‘Run through’ Charles Oliveira on way to title victory ahead of UFC 289 fight

Drew Dober believes Beneil Dariush will make easy work of Charles Oliveira on his way to becoming the UFC lightweight champion. Dober is set to make his return to the Octagon this Saturday night as the UFC returns to New Jersey for UFC 288. Emanating from the Prudential Center, Dober will look to score his […]

Drew Dober believes Beneil Dariush will make easy work of Charles Oliveira on his way to becoming the UFC lightweight champion.

Dober is set to make his return to the Octagon this Saturday night as the UFC returns to New Jersey for UFC 288. Emanating from the Prudential Center, Dober will look to score his fourth-straight win as he squares off against 155-pound standout Matt Frevola. Before heading to the Garden State, Dober spoke with The Schmo to share his thoughts on next month’s high-stakes lightweight clash between No. 4 ranked contender Beneil Dariush and former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.

Drew Dober not only believes that Beneil Dariush will “run through” Charles Oliveira in their UFC 289 showdown, but he also suggested that Dariush would defeat reigning 155-pound king Islam Makhachev in a potential UFC title fight later this year.

“I think Beneil Dariush is No.1 contender in my division and he deserves that title shot against Islam,” Dober said. “I could see him running through Charles and I also see him potentially beating Islam as well” (h/t MMA News).

Drew Dober Believes Alexander Volkanovski Exposed the Blueprint to Beating Islam Makhachev

Drew Dober has shared the Octagon with both Beneil Dariush and Islam Makhachev, falling to both men by way of submission. Based on his own experience inside the cage and the success that Alexander Volkanovski had against Makhachev in their UFC 284 superfight, Dober believes Beneil Dariush has both the skills and the blueprint to upset the Dagestani destroyer.

“I think that Islam had the more complete game and, I mean, he dominated for the full 15, where Beneil, he brings in the extra added oomph, that it-factor, and man, Beneil just gets better with time, and I think Volkanovski showed a lot of holes in Islam’s game, and I know Beneil will take advantage of those.”

In February, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski attempted to dethrone Islam Makhchev in the land down under. After 25 grueling minutes of action, Makhachev was awarded the victory by way of a unanimous decision. Many fans and fighters condemned the decision, believing ‘The Great’ did more than enough to secure a win. A rematch between the two is undoubtedly on the docket, but first, Volkanovski will look to unify his 145-pound crown with interim titleholder Yair Rodrigues this summer.

EXCLUSIVE – Drew Dober claims Paulo Costa might have him beat as the UFC’s most photogenic fighter

Drew Dober is undoubtedly one of the most photogenic fighters in all of mixed martial arts, but the streaking lightweight believes one middleweight may have him beat in that category. Riding a three-fight win streak that includes knockouts over Terrance McKinney, Rafael Alves, and ‘King’ Bobby Green, Drew Dober will look to make it four […]

Drew Dober is undoubtedly one of the most photogenic fighters in all of mixed martial arts, but the streaking lightweight believes one middleweight may have him beat in that category.

Riding a three-fight win streak that includes knockouts over Terrance McKinney, Rafael Alves, and ‘King’ Bobby Green, Drew Dober will look to make it four in a row when he meets division standout Matt Frevola. Before he heads to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ for UFC 288, Dober spoke with Alex Behunin in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview to discuss a multitude of topics.

Of course, no Drew Dober interview can be complete without addressing his undeniable attractiveness. Dubbed by many as the most photogenic fighter in combat sports, Dober was asked about his thoughts on being dubbed as such. Humble as always, Dober suggested that one-time middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa may have him beat on the beauty scale.

“I’m not quite sure. I feel like I’m competing with Paulo Costa,” Dober said. “He’s good looking too, but man, you have no idea. My mother just bred me to be in front of a camera. Since I was three years old, ‘Do this, do that, do this.’ She wanted me in front of a camera since I was an infant so when I became a professional fighter, she was stoked. So all my being photogenic, interviews and all this stuff is thanks to my mom.

“It’s coached, it’s practiced. To explain how crazy my mother was, she applied me to every reality show she could. The Bachelor, Real World, Love Island. Anything she could get her hands on to put me in front of a camera. So I decided to get punched in the mouth. Here I am in front of a camera so she’s happy.”

Drew Dober (@DrewDober) breaks down his #UFC288 fight with Matt Frevola (@SteamRollaa) during an interview with @LowKick_MMA reporter, @AlexBehunin, as well weighing up a potential move to the welterweight limit.

Full Interview: https://t.co/s2xSX3MFLX pic.twitter.com/QcbDAULU71

— LowKickMMA.com (@LowKick_MMA) May 2, 2023

Drew Dober Leaves the Door Open for a Potential Move to Welterweight

Cutting a significant amount of weight to make the lightweight limit of 155, Drew Dober has teased a potential move to welterweight in the past. Asked if that is still part of his plans, Dober revealed that he has seemingly mastered cutting to 155, but is not opposed to taking the occasional fight at welterweight if it makes sense.

“Surprising enough, I think we’ve got this weight-cut thing figured out,” Dober continued. “Before my fight with Bobby Green, I had probably one of the smoothest weight cuts of my life. I’ve never had back-to-back smooth weight cuts, but we’re hitting the same numbers this time around. So without jinxing myself, knock on wood, we might have back-to-back smooth cuts for 155 and so it gives me the options. We can compete at 155 indefinitely or we can move to 170 for potential bangers up there. I’ll probably have to put on a little size if I want to make a career move to welterweight, but I trained with [Kamaru] Usman and the dude outweighs me for sure.”

After working with coaches and nutritionists for years, Drew Dober finds that simply listening to his body is the best way to make sure that he has a healthy weight cut.

“Yeah, it’s a long process. I’ve worked with a nutritionist for 10-plus years. Different nutritionists, but they all kind of tell me these things that work and some things that don’t work. As of right now, I’m just listening to my body. I’m well aware of what I need to eat. How I need to eat, but I’m starting to listen. I feel like with coaching, training, and all that stuff, you always do what you’re told. Now I’m doing how I feel.”

Aljamain Sterling plots featherweight title siege ahead of UFC 288 return: ‘Maybe I defend the belt one time’

Ahead of his incoming UFC 288 championship outing against former titleholder, Henry Cejudo this weekend, reigning bantamweight kingpin, Aljamain Sterling has his sights set on an eventual championship outing at the featherweight limit, in pursuit of a second Octagon crown. Slated to headline UFC 288 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey this weekend […]

Slated to headline UFC 288 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey this weekend in a championship outing against former duel-weight champion, Cejudo, Sterling will attempt to become the first bantamweight titleholder to successfully defend the crown on three separate occasions.

Last time out, Uniondale native, Sterling co-headlined UFC 280 back in October of last year in Abu Dhabi, UAE, stopping former champion, T.J. Dillashaw with a second round slew of ground strikes.

Aljamain Sterling still plotting featherweight UFC move

And ahead of UFC 288 this weekend against Cejudo, Sterling has outlined his intentions to likely challenge a combination of champions, Alexander Volkanovski, or Yair Rodriguez at the featherweight limit in the future.

“I smash Henry [Cejudo],” Aljamain Sterling told Megan Olivi. “I smash [Sean] O’Malley. I go up to 145 [pounds], I fight [Alexander] Volkanovski or [Yair] Rodriguez and maybe I defend the belt one time and I’m done.”

As for both Volkanovski and Rodriguez, the featherweight titleholders are slated to headline UFC 290 during International Fight Week in July of this summer, in a championship unification clash.

Both sharing their predictions ahead of ‘The Garden State’ title affair, Sterling maintains that once he defeats Cejudo at UFC 288, the former two-weight champion and Olympic gold medalist will call time on his professional career again.

While on the other hand, Los Angeles-born challenger, Cejudo backs his style to comfortably dispatch Sterling within just three rounds come their UFC 288 headlining clash, further claiming he’s just back in the promotion to “rob the bank” against Sterling.

Aljamain Sterling expects Henry Cejudo to retire again after UFC 288: ‘I think he disappears into darkness’

Aljamain Sterling plans to send Henry Cejudo back to retirement at UFC 288: ‘I think he disappears again’ Aljamain Sterling claims Henry Cejudo’s impending retirement snapping return at UFC 288 next weekend, won’t last necessarily long – planning to send the Olympic gold medalist back to the sidelines with a bantamweigh title retention in May. […]

Aljamain Sterling plans to send Henry Cejudo back to retirement at UFC 288: ‘I think he disappears again’

Aljamain Sterling claims Henry Cejudo’s impending retirement snapping return at UFC 288 next weekend, won’t last necessarily long – planning to send the Olympic gold medalist back to the sidelines with a bantamweigh title retention in May.

Headlining the promotion’s pay-per-view event to Newark, New Jersey, Sterling looks to become the first bantamweight champion in UFC history to rack up three consecutive successful title defense, taking on former champion and former flyweight gold holder, Cejudo at the Prudential Cetner.

Taking co-main event honors at UFC 280 back in October in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sterling stopped common-foe, T.J. Dillashaw with a second round slew of ground strikes.

As for Cejudo, the Los Angeles-born challenger called time on his decorated mixed martial arts career back in 2020, following a successful bantamweight title defense against former gold holder, Dominick Cruz in Jacksonville, Florida.

Aljamain Sterling expects timely retirement from Henry Cejudo after UFC 288

Headlining in ‘The Garden State’ next month against Sterling, Cejudo has been touted to return to retirement if he proves unsuccessful in his quest for bantamweight gold as per the former.

“Henry (Cejudo) can say whatever he wants,” Aljamain Sterling told MMA Fighting during a recent interview. “I think I’ve shown that even if the world is against me, I’m going to fight back. I’ll chirp back and nothing is going to get inside my head and nothing’s going to deter me from doing and believing what I believe in.”

“I think [after UFC 288] Henry Cejudo disappears into the darkness again, going into the abyss depending on how bad he gets his ass whooped,” Aljamain Sterling explained. “That’s what I really do think.”

Remaining supremely confident of clinching bantamweight gold for the second time during his Octagon tenure, Cejudo claimed he was “robbing the bank” in his return against Sterling next weekend in New Jersey.

Henry Cejudo predicts finish of Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288: ‘I’m just here to rob the bank’

Former two-weight champion, Henry Cejudo appears supremely confident of a victory over champion, Aljamain Sterling in their UFC 288 headliner next month – predicting a stoppage triumph before the championship rounds. Cejudo, a former undisputed bantamweight and flyweight titleholder, retired from mixed martial arts competition back in May 2020 following a successful title defense against […]

Cejudo, a former undisputed bantamweight and flyweight titleholder, retired from mixed martial arts competition back in May 2020 following a successful title defense against fellow former gold holder, Dominick Cruz.

Henry Cejudo envisions dominant victory over Aljamain Sterling

Set to snap that three-year surprise retirement from the sport next weekend atop a UFC 288 pay-per-view event at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey – Cejudo expects to force the issue against champion, Sterling inside three rounds to reclaim bantamweight spoils.

“I see Aljamain Sterling – I see a damn Benjamin,” Henry Cejudo told ESPN during a recent interview. “I see T.J. Dillashaw, I see a damn Benjamin. “I’m just here to rob the bank and that’s a reality. That’s how I feel and that’s what I’m gonna do on May 6. because Aljamain’s just not at my level and I love it. As a matter of fact, UFC actually hired me as a hitman to take this dude out. Did the UFC really want to give me a title shot? ‘No, but Henry, you’re stylistically the best matchup and we want him out of here.’ I’m like, alright. Let me put on my gloves. I’m gonna go out and get that job done.”

“…Aljamain knows I’m the guy out of everybody on the whole roster, whether he wants to say he’s gonna put me out in two rounds or I don’t deserve it, I’m letting you babysit my belt,” Henry Cejudo explained. “He knows that I’m just the toughest matchup stylistically. I know he knows what I’m capable of doing. This fight doesn’t go past three rounds.”

As for Uniondale native, Sterling, the Serra-Longo MMA staple has already chalked up successful bantamweight title defenses against former champions, Petr Yan, and the above-mentioned common-foe, Dillashaw since assuming the throne back in 2021.

Jan Blachowicz says Paulo Costa was likely ‘Drunk’ when he offered to fight him at UFC 288: ‘I don’t know what’s in his head’

Jan Blachowicz claims that Paulo Costa turned down the opportunity to fight him at UFC 288. In an attempt to add to the UFC 288 card, which was not the strongest, it appears that the UFC attempted to make Paulo Costa Vs. Jan Blachowicz. However, according to Blachowicz, this matchup did happen due to the […]

Jan Blachowicz claims that Paulo Costa turned down the opportunity to fight him at UFC 288.

In an attempt to add to the UFC 288 card, which was not the strongest, it appears that the UFC attempted to make Paulo Costa Vs. Jan Blachowicz. However, according to Blachowicz, this matchup did happen due to the Brazilian turning it down.

Talking to Lowking, a Polish MMA outlet, he said that last Friday, he was presented the fight by the UFC – he accepted – but Costa did not

“Friday afternoon, the question comes if I want to fight Costa,” said Blachowicz. “I say, ‘One moment, one moment,’ because in my case it meant a very strong reorganization of my life. I had to really do a lot. If he had agreed at that moment, as I agreed, because I agreed to this fight, I would already be in the States by now. I’d already be there, I’d be training, I’d be catching the vibe.

“I reorganized the lives of people who were supposed to fly with me, myself, my manager Dorota,” he continued. “I had to do a lot. The kid, her, the people around me. And I managed to do it. I say, ‘Okay, but now let the dollars do the talking.’ That was Dorothy’s job. Let the dollars do the talking if we take the fight. Dollars have also spoken. I say, ‘Hey, adventure!’ I feel good, I’m in training. It’s OK, we’re taking this fight, why not.”

Paulo Costa turns down Jan Blachowicz fight

However, Sunday night would roll around and according to Blachowicz, this is when he received news that Costa had turned down the fight.

“Sunday, probably evening, I’m starting to go to bed, Dorota comes in and says that Costa does not want this fight. So, I cancelled everything, people went back to their ways of life again. And now he’s screaming something on the Internet again that he wants to fight me. I don’t quite understand his train of thought.” Blachowicz said.

“I don’t know if he was drunk, at that moment he sobered up and he lost his vision? I don’t know what’s in his head. I’m not sitting there. Weird dude, weird type. There will be no more of this fight.” (H/T MMAMania)

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