Is UFC lightweight Drew Dober the hype killer? Fresh off the back of his first-round knockout win over Terrance McKinney, a surging lightweight prospect, Dober told MMAJunkie that he wants “fun fights” for the foreseeable future, and he wants a piece of Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett next.
“I want to collide with that hype train for sure. O2 Arena? That would be incredible, but yeah, he has a really solid jiu-jitsu game, and he showcased it in the last fight. He does leave his chin out there, which I think that would pose some problems when fighting me, but I’m open and game for the opportunity, and we’ll see what comes up after this on Saturday.”
Drew Dober Calls Out Paddy Pimblett, Requests “Fun Fight” Over Ranked Opponents
Drew Dober has actually faced some seriously elite competition in his time. He’s fought title challenger Islam Makhachev, and potential title challenger Beneil Dariush, and he’s no stranger to the UFC rankings. However, Drew Dober wants to enjoy himself, and compared his career trajectory to that of some historic fan favorites. It’s clear that he has an idea of the fighter he wants to be, and taking on the promotion’s stars without worrying about the number next to his name is a key piece of that.
“The rankings are cool and everything. Being a part of the rankings was incredible, but it’s fighting the stars that I’m more worried about. I don’t care about the number, and the gold is nice, but honestly I just want to be like a Donald Cerrone, Clay Guida, Joe Lauzon. Like those cats who have never held the gold but have fantastic fights throughout their entire career, and I’m gonna chase the title for sure.
I’m gonna try and sneak up those rankings, but it’s not what I put my thoughts on. My thoughts are always on the biggest and best fights every single time I’m in the cage, because I don’t know when this is gonna be over for me, and so the next one after this, he can be ranked or not ranked, but I want a big-name fight.”
It’s arguable that Drew Dober’s position is more in line with the new generation of fighters, who can build profiles for themselves outside of the Octagon that translate to better fighting opportunities, even if they’re not in title contention. Paddy Pimblett and Sean O’Malley come to mind as social media stars who – at least so far – have not made any serious moves against top contenders.
Do you want to see Dober vs Pimblett? Will Drew Dober derail yet another hype train? Let us know in the comments.
