Drew Dober got the perfect lift going into UFC on ESPN+ 29 when he saw his good friend and teammate Justin Gaethje put on the performance of a lifetime.
Just four days prior to when Dober (22-9 MMA, 9-4 UFC) is set to compete against Alexander Hernandez (11-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in a lightweight bout on Wednesday’s card, Gaethje (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) won the interim lightweight title with a thrilling effort against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 on Saturday that ended in a fifth-round TKO.
The training camps of Dober and Gaethje essentially were replicates, so seeing the way Gaethje performed gave a lift of self-belief.
“(It gave me) a ton (of confidence),” Dober said during Monday’s UFC on ESPN+ 29 virtual media day. “Him and I, he was originally helping me prepare for this original date of May 2, so him and I have been killing each other every week. So to see him go out there and be able to perform in the third, fourth and fifth round like that, it just gives me a whole lot of confidence I’m able to perform equally well.”
Gaethje’s win over Ferguson set up a title unification bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov later this year. Dober is trying to climb the ranks at 155 pounds in his own right, but he sees Gaethje securing the top spot sooner rather than later.
“I think Gaethje’s wrestling is extremely underrated,” Dober said. “Khabib is a tough fight for anybody, but with Justin Gaethje’s power and his wrestling credentials … I think Justin Gaethje can definitely take advantage of the moments.”
If there ever comes a time when Gaethje is the champion and Dober is the top contender, the pair will cross that bridge then. They are focusing on living in the now, though, and for Dober that’s holding up his end of the bargain by following his teammate’s big showing with one of his own.
“I’m going to get in, get out and get my job done and celebrate my win in Colorado with Justin Gaethje,” Dober said. “I think he just sent me a note saying he’s got some fresh doughnuts prepared for him and I when I get back.”
