Drew Dober knows the magnitude of his upcoming fight is amplified for various reasons. Dober (23-9 MMA, 10-4 UFC) faces the highly touted Islam Makhachev at UFC 259 , where a win could very well catapult him to the lightweight top 10. Getting past Makhachev won’t just result in a spot in the rankings for Dober. It’s an opportunity to derail a hype train that has a massive following, as well as the backing of UFC lightweight champion and teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov, who touted Makhachev as a future champion. Makhachev (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) is riding a six-fight winning streak, including victories over Arman Tsarukyan and Nik Lentz, but Dober thinks the Russian is yet to be truly tested in the octagon. “I think a lot of the hype comes from when you have one of the greatest of all time Khabib talk so highly of you, plus Russian fans follow their athletes whole-heartedly,” Dober told MMA Junkie.
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UFC 259′s Drew Dober not sold on Islam Makhachev: ‘A lot of his hype comes from Khabib’ – MMA Junkie