Drew Dober

Andrew Martin Dober (born October 19, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He holds the record for most knockouts in the lightweight division with eleven. A professional since 2009, he has also formerly competed for Bellator MMA, and Titan Fighting Championship.

Background

Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Dober grew up with a single mother and a half-sibling, and didn't meet his father until he was 18. Dober began training in Muay Thai at the age of 14 and was highly successful, going on to become a two-time Amateur National Champion. He also wrestled his junior and senior years at Millard North High School. Dober is also a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, having achieved that rank under Ed Shobe of Mid-America Martial Arts before he moved to train in Colorado.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Dober compiled an amateur record of 9–0 before turning professional in 2009.

Bellator

Dober faced Nick Nolte at Bellator 16 on April 29, 2010. He won the fight via arm-triangle choke submission in the first round.

Independent promotions

In the next three years, Dober would compile a 12–2 record in various promotions including Victory Fighting Championship and Titan Fighting Championship. He then appeared on The Ultimate Fighter.

The Ultimate Fighter

In February 2012, it was revealed that Dober would be a participant on The Ultimate Fighter 15. He was defeated in the entry round by Daron Cruickshank via unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Dober stepped in for an injured Sérgio Moraes to face Sean Spencer at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale on November 30, 2013. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Dober next faced Nick Hein at UFC Fight Night 41 on May 31, 2014. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Dober faced former WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner at UFC on Fox 13. He secured his biggest win to date, defeating Varner via rear-naked choke submission in the first round.

Dober faced Leandro Silva on March 21, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 62. Dober lost the fight via technical submission in the second round. Silva was attempting to secure a guillotine choke after dropping to the mat with Dober's neck secured in his arm. Dober defended and moved his body to the side to stave off being caught in the choke. Silva appeared to be losing his grip on the submission as Dober continued to work free. However, the referee stepped in and touched the fighters as if to motion that he was standing them up. In reality, he was stopping the fight due to submission despite the fact that Dober never tapped and was in no significant danger of being choked out from the hold. Despite the loss, UFC awarded Dober his win money with president Dana White stating that he would have liked to see the result overturned and the match declared a no contest. The fight was later overturned to a "No Contest" by the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) after the referee Eduardo Herdy admitted his mistake.

Dober then faced Efrain Escudero at UFC 188 on June 13, 2015. He lost the fight by guillotine choke submission in the first round.

Dober was expected to face Erik Koch on January 2, 2016 at UFC 195. However, Koch pulled out of the bout in early December citing injury and was replaced by Scott Holtzman. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Dober was expected to face Islam Makhachev on April 16, 2016 at UFC on Fox 19. After the weigh ins, the UFC announced that Makhachev had failed an out-of-competition drug screening, testing positive for the banned anti-ischemic meldonium. The match was cancelled.

A rescheduled bout with Erik Koch was expected to take place on September 10, 2016 at UFC 203. However on August 11, Koch pulled out again due to injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Jason Gonzalez. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Dober next faced Olivier Aubin-Mercier on December 10, 2016 at UFC 206. He lost the fight via submission in the second round.

Dober then faced Josh Burkman on July 29, 2017 at UFC 214. He won by first round knockout.

Drew faced Frank Camacho in a welterweight bout on January 27, 2018 at UFC on Fox 27. He won the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night bonus.

Dober faced Jon Tuck in a lightweight bout on August 25, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 135. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Dober faced Beneil Dariush on March 9, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 146. He lost the fight via submission in the second round.

Dober faced Polo Reyes on June 29, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 3. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.

Dober faced Nasrat Haqparast on January 18, 2020 at UFC 246. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. This win earned him a Performance of the Night award.

Dober was expected to face Carlos Diego Ferreira on May 2, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Weidman. However, on April 9, Dana White, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed to a future date. Dober instead faced Alexander Hernandez on May 13, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 171. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two. This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.

The bout with Ferreira was rescheduled for November 7, 2020 at UFC on ESPN 17. However, Ferreira pulled out on October 22 due to an illness and the bout was scrapped.

Dober faced Islam Makhachev March 6, 2021 at UFC 259. He lost the fight via submission in round three.

Dober faced Brad Riddell on June 12, 2021 at UFC 263. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.

Dober was next expected to face Ricky Glenn at UFC Fight Night 204 on March 12, 2022. However, a week before the event, Glenn withdrew due to a torn groin and was replaced by Terrance McKinney. After being knocked down twice within the opening minute, Dober rallied and won the fight via technical knockout in round one.

Dober faced Rafael Alves on July 30, 2022, at UFC 277. He won the fight in the third round after knocking out Alves with a punch to the body. The win also earned Dober his third Performance of the Night award.

Dober faced Bobby Green on December 17, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 216. He won the fight via knockout in round two. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.

Dober faced Matt Frevola on May 6, 2023, at UFC 288. He lost the fight by TKO at the end of the first round.

Dober faced Ricky Glenn on October 7, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 229. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. With this win, Dober broke the record for most knockouts in UFC Lightweight division history. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Dober faced Renato Moicano on February 3, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 235. Although Dober landed punches that opened Moicano's face, Dober was dominated on the ground for the majority of the fight which led him to lose by unanimous decision.

Dober was scheduled to face Mike Davis on July 13, 2024 at UFC on ESPN 59. However, Davis was forced to withdraw due to a torn bicep and was replaced by Jean Silva, who fought two weeks prior at UFC 303. Dober lost the fight via doctor stoppage in the third round after being rendered unable to continue due to a cut above the left eye. This fight earned him another Fight of the Night award.

Dober faced Manuel Torres on March 29, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 64. He lost the fight by technical knockout in the first round.

Dober faced Kyle Prepolec on October 18, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 262. Despite receiving a one-point deduction for an illegal groin strike in the third round, Dober secured victory via technical knockout. The victory marked Dober’s tenth knockout in the UFC lightweight division, setting a new divisional record. This fight earned him another Fight of the Night award.

Dober faced Michael Johnson on March 7, 2026 at UFC 326. He won the fight by knockout in the second round. This fight earned him a $100,000 Performance of the Night award.

Personal life

Dober's met his first wife Gloria Hein, the sister of his UFC opponent Nick Hein, following their bout at UFC Fight Night 56 in Berlin, Germany. The two met at the post-fight after-party, and were married for two years before divorcing.

Dober married his second wife Hollis Casey in August of 2021. They have one daughter together that was born in 2023. In October of 2025 Dober revealed that he and his wife lost an unborn child through miscarriage during his training camp for his fight vs. Kyle Prepolec.

Outside of fighting, Dober enjoys playing video games.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight of the Night (Five times) vs. Frank Camacho, Brad Riddell, Bobby Green, Jean Silva and Kyle Prepolec Performance of the Night (Five times) vs. Nasrat Haqparast, Alexander Hernandez, Rafael Alves, Ricky Glenn and Michael Johnson Most knockouts in UFC Lightweight division history (11) Tied (Anderson Silva, Thiago Santos, Dustin Poirier, Anthony Johnson & Max Holloway) for fourth most knockouts in UFC history (11) Fourth most finishes in UFC Lightweight division history (12) Tied (Edson Barboza) for fifth most knockdowns landed in UFC Lightweight division history (10) UFC.com Awards 2018: Ranked #9 Fight of the Year vs. Frank Camacho
• Sherdog 2022 Round of the Year vs. Terrance McKinney
• MMA Fighting 2022 First Team MMA All-Star

Mixed martial arts record

See also

• List of current UFC fighters
• List of Bellator MMA alumni
• List of male mixed martial artists

External links

• at UFC
• from Sherdog