Islam Makhachev is off to a great start in 2021.
The rising UFC lightweight contender put on a clinic Saturday night, outclassing Drew Dober at Saturday’s UFC 259 pay-per-view event in Las Vegas. Makhachev (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) out-grappled Dober (23-10 MMA, 9-6 UFC) for two rounds to then submit him at the 1:37 mark of Round 3 with an arm-triangle choke.
The lightweight bout was part of the UFC 259 main card at the UFC Apex. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
It was a vintage performance from Makhachev.
The 29-year-old took down Dober seconds into every round and completely dominated the action, constantly looking for submissions and setting Dober in survival mode. It wasn’t until the third round and several submission attempts later that Makhachev sunk in an arm-triangle from half guard that forced Dober to tap out.
Makhachev, a close friend and teammate of retired UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov, is regarded as one of the most promising rising contenders in the lightweight division.
The 29-year-old is on a six-fight wining streak since suffering his only professional defeat back in 2015. Makhachev hadn’t competed since September 2019 due to several canceled bouts and the pandemic, which halted UFC operations for a few months.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 259 results include:
- Islam Makhachev def. Drew Dober via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 1:37
- Aleksandar Rakic def. Thiago Santos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Dominick Cruz def. Casey Kenney via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
- Kyler Phillips def. Song Yadong via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Askar Askarov def. Joseph Benavidez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Kai Kara-France def. Rogerio Bontorin via TKO (punch) – Round 1, 4:55
- Tim Elliott def. Jordan Espinosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)
- Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Carlos Ulberg via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:19
- Sean Brady def. Jake Matthews via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 3:28
- Amanda Lemos def. Livinha Souza via TKO (punch) – Round 1, 3:39
- Uros Medic def. Aalon Cruz via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:40
- Trevin Jones def. Mario Bautista via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:47
