Drew Dober and Jean Silva at the UFC Denver weigh-in. Credit: Youtube/UFC
Drew Dober had very little choice of opponent at UFC Denver on Saturday, which was surely a major disappointment for the fighter who trains with the Elevation Fight Team alongside the likes of Kamaru Usman and Justin Gaethje — at least until Jean Silva showed up.
Silva was fresh off a win over Charles Jourdan at UFC 303 just two weeks prior, but was unsatisfied with his performance despite becoming the first fighter to finish the Canadian, so the Brazilian decided to move down to lightweight for a quick opportunity against Dober.
In the first round, a little probing led to a neat jumping knee from Silva. As the stand-up battle unfolded, Dober moved his hands. Silva simply stood up, covered himself up, and began to fend off Dober’s attacks. Probably not the best idea, but Dober drew blood from Silva’s attacks. The Brazilian threatened with a left hand, occasionally barely missing. Later in the round, Dober fended off Juan with a spinning kick, and Jean Silva responded with amusement.
The second round started with an inside kick from Dober that nearly grazed the cup and landed, but they kept fighting. Silva’s left hand was incredibly neat, but Dober fought back, even though his face was bloody from a cut he’d opened up at the start of the fight. Silva’s elbow was bad, but Dober fought back, clinching with one hand and landing uppercuts, making the fight more like hockey. Silva weathered the storm and fought back, but whiffed a big uppercut.
Meanwhile, Dober had fans cheering him on as the fight continued, as he ate a punch from Silva and then went for a takedown, but Silva beat him down and started attacking at the end of the round.
The third round started with a standing ovation for both men, who embraced and began fighting. But just under 90 seconds in, Dober’s cuts looked like something out of a horror movie. His eyebrows looked like they were drooping from his face, and referee Herb Dean called in the doctor. There was no way the fight could continue, so he waved it off. After the fight, Dober cheerfully told the crowd that he’d be back.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Jean Silva defeats Drew Dober via TKO, Round 3, 1 minute, 28 seconds
