Islam Makhachev targeted for UFC 259 return against rising contender Drew Dober

A highly-intriguing lightweight bout between top-15 ranked fighters Islam Makhachev and Drew Dober has been added to UFC 259.

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto confirmed the fight between Makhachev and Dober, which is likely to take place at UFC 259 on March 6. There is no main event for that card currently set, but UFC president Dana White previously said the UFC is targeting a heavyweight title rematch between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou for the March PPV event.

UFC targeting a lightweight fight between Islam Makhachev (@MAKHACHEVMMA) and Drew Dober (@DrewDober), per multiple sources. No official date yet, but March 6 is an option. That's a damn good matchup.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) December 10, 2020

UFC targeting a lightweight fight between Islam Makhachev ( @MAKHACHEVMMA ) and Drew Dober ( @DrewDober ), per multiple sources. No official date yet, but March 6 is an option. That’s a damn good matchup.

Makhachev (18-1) was recently the victim of poor circumstances as his fight against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 254 was scratched, and then the re-booking at UFC Vegas 14 was also scratched. RDA went on to fight Paul Felder and won a split decision, while Makhachev didn’t end up fighting anyone. Fortunately, the UFC has found a top-15 opponent in Dober to step up and fight Makhachev, who will be looking to win his seventh straight fight in the UFC. Right now, Makhachev is ranked No. 13 at 155lbs.

Dober (23-9, 1 NC) has really improved over the last couple of years and has now broken through into the top-15 rankings. Dober is the No. 15 ranked lightweight in the world on the heels of a three-fight win streak that includes upset knockout wins over Alexander Hernandez and Nasrat Haqparast in his last twos outing. Overall Dober has won six of his last seven fights with the lone loss in that span coming against top contender Beneil Dariush. Dober has been fighting in the UFC since 2013 but he hasn’t really started to become a contender until the last few years, as he is a late bloomer.

Who do you think wins, Islam Makhachev or Drew Dober?