Drew Dober scored his third straight victory and sixth in seven fights, defeating the 15th ranked lightweight Alexander Hernandez at UFC Fight Night 171 on Wednesday.
It was an action-packed affair from the start with both fighters throwing hard shots until Hernandez scored a takedown in the second minute. Dober got to the fence and returned to his feet quickly. The two returned to the striking action with Dober forcing most of the pressure in the round.
A mix of leg kicks and takedown attempts kept Dober at bay for much of the round, although he did score a nice combination in the final minute. In fending off an attack, Dober also accidentally poked the eye of Hernandez, causing a brief respite from the action.
An eye for an eye they say, as round two began and was immediately halted after Dober suffered an eye poke from Hernandez. A brief break and it was back to the action with Dober continuing to press forward and Hernandez countering.
A hard left hand from Dober sent Hernandez crashing against the fence. Dober tried to rush in, but Hernandez recovered with a nice takedown. Dober made his way to his feet quickly and, sensing Hernandez was still hurt, continued the aggressive attack. After a series of unanswered shots, referee Herb Dean mercifully called a stop to the fight at 4:25 in the second round.
With his third straight win, Drew Dober will likely find himself in the top 15 of the UFC lightweight division with a 23-9 (1 NC) record. Hernandez, entering the fight as the No. 15-ranked lightweight, falls to 11-3.