Drew Dober faces off against the surging Jean Silva in a lightweight clash featured on the undercard of this weekend’s UFC Fight Night card.
The always-tough Dober is trying to get back in the win column as his career looks to be nearing the end, and he’ll have a hard time doing that against Silva.
Dober vs Silva prediction and pick
- My fight prediction
Silva moneyline (-110 at BET99) - My best bet
Over 2.5 rounds (-125 at BET99)
Fight analysis
Dober vs. Silva was added to the card relatively late, but it easily is the strongest fight on the heavily-shuffled event's undercard. Dober is coming back after a decision loss to Renato Moicano five months ago, which followed a first-round stoppage of Ricky Glenn and a rare first-round knockout loss to Matt Frevola. Dober is an excellent boxer and can land some punishing shots, but he's getting older and his often-sturdy chin, which was his only source of defense, may be starting to crack.
Though Dober has remained one of those dangerous guys that can beat almost anyone outside the Top 10 of the division, he can be outclassed and that is what has kept him from breaking his own ceiling.
This will be Silva's second fight in less than 30 days after he blasted Charles Jourdain out in two rounds at UFC 303. He's 3-0 since joining the UFC and has displayed the same striking power as Dober, and has shown to be an accurate and technical striker compared to Dober's more frantic pace. He is also seven years younger than Dober and hasn't had the long, punishing career his veteran opponent has. Going from Jourdain to Dober isn't that big of a jump, but an intangible that works against Silva is going to be the fight taking place at altitude in Denver and that he just fought three weeks ago.
Granted, Silva isn't likely to have blown up in weight after just coming off a fight, but he's rushing back into camp and will be fighting the elevation along with hometown hero Dober. Dober may be on the back nine, but he is still a dangerous opponent who doesn't play around when he gets someone hurt, and he normally can take a beating. We've seen Silva display explosive power and impressive timing, so as long as he doesn't get caught up in exchanges and remains composed, he should be able to down Dober and make a statement in the process.
Best best analysis
Dober is still a tough out and while he may be fading, he can still take a good shot and is notoriously hard to stop. We haven’t seen the kind of submission chops from Silva that could allow him to nab one, so this figures to be a high-impact striking battle. Silva might opt to sit back and counter Dober, but he can’t risk gassing out to get victimized by Dober’s sharp shots.
Eventually, Silva’s sharper shots will start to wear Dober down. His stoppage win over Jourdain was impressive, but the quick turnaround time might prevent him from scoring another eye-catching stoppage here. Dober is also a threat at any point during the fight, and still has enough going for him to pull this off. My best bet for the fight is that it goes Over 2.5 rounds.
Drew Dober vs Jean Silva odds
 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Method of Victory | Dober | Silva |
| To win outright | -110 | -110 |
| To win by KO/TKO | +190 | +190 |
| To win by decision | +440 | +700 |
| To win by submission | +1,550 | +700 |
| Draw | +2,500 | +2,500 |
Odds as of 7-11-2024.
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Drew Dober vs Jean Silva tale of the tape
| Dober | Silva | |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | Age | 27 |
| 5-foot-8 | Height | 5-foot-7 |
| 156 pounds | Weight | 147 pounds |
| 70 inches | Reach | 69 inches |
| 27-13 (15 KO, 1 NC) | Record | 13-2 (10 KO) |
Not intended for use in MA.
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