Jean Silva entered enemy territory on short notice to face an always-dangerous Drew Dober, and picked up his second win in two weeks.
At UFC on ESPN 59 at Ball Arena in Denver, Silva (14-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) not only stepped up as a replacement for the injured Mike Davis, but also moved up a weight class to meet Dober (27-14 MMA, 13-10 UFC) at lightweight. The fight turned out to be an incredible battle that ended at 1:28 of Round 3 due to a nasty cut over Dober’s right eye.
Early on, it was apparent the judges’ input was not likely to be needed. The feel-out process didn’t last long, as Dober and Silva began firing hard shots as the opening round progressed. The cut that would eventually lead to the stoppage of the fight was opened on Dober during an exchange.
In Round 2, the striking intensity continued at a high pace as Dober stalked forward. In the closing moments, a Silva spinning back elbow connected flush to Dober, rocking him in a big moment just before the horn.
The ringside doctor assessed Dober’s cut between rounds, but the fight was allowed to continue.
Silva continued to land well in the final round, causing the cut to open up even more, and became too much for referee Herb Dean to ignore. After the doctor took another look, the fight was waved off.
Nothing but respect between these two🥹#UFCDenver pic.twitter.com/YryflN84iA
— UFC (@ufc) July 14, 2024
Silva competed two weeks prior at UFC 303, defeating Charles Jordain in a featherweight bout by second-round knockout. However, the victory was tained by Silva’s weight miss by 1.5 pounds.
Dober failed to return to the win column after dropping a unanimous decision to Renato Moicano in February.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 59 results include:
- Jean Silva def. Drew Dober via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 3, 1:28
- Gabriel Bonfim def. Ange Loosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Julian Erosa def. Christian Rodriguez via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 4:49
- Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage ruled no contest (accidental illegal strikes) – Round 1, 0:37
- Charles Johnson def. Joshua Van via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 0:20
- Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Fatima Kline via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Montel Jackson def. Da’Mon Blackshear via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:18
- Luana Santos def. Mariya Agapova via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:27
- Andre Petroski def. Josh Fremd via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Evan Elder def. Darrius Flowers via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 1:46
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.
