Drew Dober names the fighter he believes is most capable of dethroning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev

By Susan Cox - April 21, 2023

Drew Dober has named the fighter he believes is most capable of dethroning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.

Drew Dober, Bobby Green, UFC Vegas 66, UFC

Makhachev (24-1 MMA) is riding high after defeating Alexander Volkanovski (25-2 MMA) this past February at UFC 284.

The 31 year old Russian has only 1 loss in his resume, which took place way back in 2015 against Adriano Martins (28-12 MMA) at UFC 192.

Drew Dober is weighing in on the fighter who he believes can defeat and ultimately take the title away from Makhachev.

Speaking with Mike Owens in a ‘MiddleEasy‘ exclusive, and when asked about the upcoming bout between Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira, Dober shared his thoughts on the lightweight division:

“I’m a huge Beneil Dariush fan. He’s so underrated and deserving of much more. I don’t know why the UFC seems to hate Beneil, but he has the best chance of beating Islam Makhachev. He’s so talented. I think Beneil is going to beat Charles Oliveira and I think he deserves that title shot. To me, personally, he’s the number one contender right now. I don’t think anyone’s ahead of him.”

Concluding, Dober, 34, said:

“I just keep hearing these rumors and these articles of the hate on Beneil and I just think it’s outrageous. So you just count me in for Beneil beating Charles and beating Islam.” 

So there you have it, Dober, obviously a big fan of Dariush, sees the 33 year old defeating Oliveira at UFC 289 and going on to unseat the lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev.

Beneil Dariush (22-4 MMA) takes on Charles Oliveira (33-9 MMA) at UFC 289 which takes place on Saturday, June 10th at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C.

Dariush is sporting 8 wins in a row coming into the Octagon, while Oliveira is coming off his own loss to Makhachev last October at UFC 280.

As for what is next for Dober, he’s preparing for his upcoming battle with Matt Frevola (10-3 MMA) which takes place at UFC 288 on Saturday, May 6th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Do you agree with Dobers’ analogy? Do you think Dariush is underrated and is the best fighter capable of defeating Makhachev?

Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

Drew Dober Islam Makhachev