Drew Dober releases statement following ugly knockout loss at UFC Mexico
Drew Dober celebrated his 25th UFC appearance Saturday, but there wasn’t much to cheer about by the time his fight was over.
The lightweight veteran was knocked out in under two minutes in the penultimate bout of UFC Mexico after being clipped by a Manuel Torres right hand and then battered with hammer fists. Making matters worse, referee Mike Beltran was woefully late in stopping the bout, allowing Dober to absorb several unanswered blows to the head despite showing no signs of recovering from the initial knockdown.
On Sunday, Dober reacted to the loss via a social media statement:
Well, that sucked. A beautifully timed one two by Manuel Torres. There's not much to go off of other than, unfortunately, stepping in front of the rear hand of a long power puncher.
— Drew Dober (@DrewDober) March 30, 2025
“Well, that sucked,” Dober wrote. “A beautifully timed 1-2 by Manuel Torres. There’s not much to go off of other than, unfortunately, stepping in front of the rear hand of a long power puncher.”
Dober did not comment on the controversial ending, which saw a dazed Dober spring up shortly afterwards and resume a fighting stance, seemingly oblivious to the bout being stopped.
It was the third knockout loss of Dober’s UFC career, including a cut stoppage in his fight against Jean Silva this past July. The 36-year-old has now lost three straight and four of his past five bouts.
Dober is no stranger to collecting UFC bonuses, having won eight in his career, but this time it was Torres cashing an extra $50,000 for the knockout. That’s four bonuses in four wins for Torres now.
As much as I love Mexico City, it's given me two of my most embarrassing losses of my career, haha. But the food and people are still the best. I'm happy and healthy and excited to be a stay at home dad for a while.
— Drew Dober (@DrewDober) March 30, 2025