Drew Dober (24-11 MMA) is set to take on Rafael Alves (20-10 MMA) tomorrow, Saturday July 29th at UFC 277, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

Dober will be entering the Octagon coming off a thrilling first round TKO of Terrance McKinney (12-4 MMA) in March of this year.

Alves is coming off 6 wins in his last 7 fights, his latest win against Marc Diakiese (16-5 MMA) in November of 2021.

During Wednesday’s UFC media day, when asked about the prospect of getting into the cage with Paddy Pimblett, Dober had this to say (h/t MMAJunkie):

“I want to collide with that hype train for sure. O2 Arena? That would be incredible, but yeah, he has a really solid jiu-jitsu game, and he showcased it in the last fight. He does leave his chin out there, which I think that would pose some problems when fighting me, but I’m open and game for the opportunity, and we’ll see what comes up after this on Saturday.”

Continuing Drew Dober spoke about being content going after fan-friendly matchups saying:

“The rankings are cool and everything. Being a part of the rankings was incredible, but it’s fighting the stars that I’m more worried about. I don’t care about the number, and the gold is nice, but honestly I just want to be like a Donald Cerrone, Clay Guida, Joe Lauzon. Like those cats who have never held the gold but have fantastic fights throughout their entire career, and I’m gonna chase the title for sure.”

Finishing, Dober said:

“I’m gonna try and sneak up those rankings, but it’s not what I put my thoughts on. My thoughts are always on the biggest and best fights every single time I’m in the cage, because I don’t know when this is gonna be over for me, and so the next one after this, he can be ranked or not ranked, but I want a big-name fight.”

Will you be watching Drew Dober vs Rafael Alves tomorrow night? Who’s your pick for the win?

Would you like to see a Dober vs Pimblett in the near future?

Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!