UFC star Drew Dober has reassured fans after suffering one of the sport’s most gruesome cuts, which led to a doctor stoppage loss at UFC Fight Night in Denver.
The 35-year-old, who trains at Elevation Fight Team, fought Brazilian Jean Silva at Ball Arena during Saturday’s main card and dropped his opponents with sharp, precise punches.
By the end of the second round, a large cut above Dober’s right eye became noticeably concerning. As a result, referee Herb Dean called an official timeout less than two minutes into the third round before the cageside doctor stopped the fight.
Following the TKO loss, the American took to social media and expressed his gratitude towards the fans.
“It’s such an honor to be able to go in there and show my heart and determination,” Dober wrote alongside a photo of her stitched cut.
UFC star Drew Dober reassured and encouraged fans after a gruesome loss to Jean Silva
“Thank you, Denver and the UFC for these moments and opportunities. There is no shame in failure. It’s just an opportunity to become a better person.”
Dober threw only significant punches during the 12 minutes of the fight, landing 59 of his 147 attempts.
Silva landed just 53 punches (out of 109) on Dober and painted his face red to take the win in the Mile High City. Although both fighters showed their boxing prowess in the fight, Silva’s elbows proved to be the difference.
However, both fighters showed the utmost respect and sportsmanship during and after the fight. Before the third round, Dober and Silva met in the center of the octagon and gave each other a hug, followed by a touch of gloves.
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Dober suffered a nasty cut above his right eye, forcing doctors to stop the fight.
Jean Silva landed 53 of 109 significant blows, which resulted in damage to Dober’s eye.
The Brazilian has scored two knockouts in the past two weeks to improve his record to 14-2.
Following the official announcement, Silva thanked and praised Dober for the heart he showed in the competition.
Silva has scored two impressive wins in two weeks following a second-round knockout of Charles Jourdain at UFC 303 on June 29. His activity has brought Silva to 14-2 with 11 knockouts and two submissions as he continues to climb the UFC lightweight rankings.
On the other hand, Dober moved to 27-14 after losing his last two fights.