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In a lightweight bout on the main card of UFC 259, Islam Makhachev will fight Drew Dober Saturday in Las Vegas as the last non-title fight on the card.
The 29-year-old Makhachev walks into the octagon with a professional fighting record of 18-1 and is ranked 14th in the lightweight division. Makhachev has won six consecutive fights dating back to Sept. 2016. The Russian mixed martial artist was scheduled to twice last year but couldn’t due to COVID-19 pandemic and a staph infection.
In his last fight at UFC 242 in Sept. 2019, Makhachev defeated Davi Ramos by unanimous decision. It was his second-straight winning result by unanimous decision and fourth out of the last six contests.
The 29-year-old lands 2.1 strikes per minute, with 56 percent accuracy. He also absorbs a minimal 0.76 strikes per minute, while his defense is at 72 percent. Makhachev can grapple inside the octagon with a 3.4 takedown average and accuracy of 68 percent. The 5-foot-10 fighter possess a 0.8 submission average and 93 percent takedown defense.
As for Dober, he enters into the UFC APEX with a professional fighting record of 23-9 (1 NC) and ranked 15th in the lightweight division. Dober has won three-straight bouts, including his latest win at UFC Fight Night 171 in May. In that particular fight, the 32-year-old defeated Alexander Hernandez by technical knockout in Round 2.
The Omaha, Nebraska native lands 4.66 strikes per minute, with 40 percent striking accuracy. Unlike Makhachev, Dober absorbs a significant amount of strikes at 4.12 per minute, while his defense is at 55 percent. The 5-foot-8 fighter is not a great grappler inside the octagon with 0.88 takedown average per 15 minutes and 17 percent accuracy.
Here are the betting odds at DraftKings Sportsbook for Islam Makhachev vs. Drew Dober at UFC 259 on March 6th.
Money line odds
Islam Makhachev: -360
Drew Dober: +275
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