UFC Mexico fighter blames referee after scary late stoppage against Drew Dober

Manuel Torres steps up to the plate with a TKO over Drew Dober at UFC Mexico at CDMX Arena, and weighed in on the late stoppage.

UFC Mexico fighter blames referee after scary late stoppage against Drew Dober

Manuel Torres pitches in on late stoppage win over veteran Drew Dober at UFC Mexico (Source: X)

Drew Dober vs. Manuel Torres went down in a key lightweight scrapper at UFC Mexico City for the promotion’s return to the nation southern to the US border. Torres devastated the opponent in a thrilling but uncomfortable late stoppage, piling up to another highlight in his fledgling career. Later, the Mexican fighter weighed in on how it went.

This wasn’t some to-and-fro war of outboxing the opponent. Manuel Torres promised action in the UFC Mexico lightweight contest and delivered. He quickly caught the rival with a ginormous straight right shot and a knockdown. He followed it up with severe hammerfists on a downed Drew Dober, who was hanging on. Dober protested the stoppage later but was very out of it and hugging the leg for dear life.

I was looking at the referee, …like ‘Hey man, I’m doing a lot of damage’… But he wouldn’t stop the fight. I’m a professional, so I had to keep going…but of course I thought it should’ve been stopped earlier.

Manuel Torres during UFC on ESPN 64 post-fight fighter interviews
YouTube video

While Dober has to look out and dread the next round of cuts from brass, this was clinical mayhem. Every fight can go that close to late stoppages and have devastating effectiveness. This, too, grazed very near; even Manuel Torres agreed. He hit Dober with some dozen hammerfists that could have been avoided had Mike Beltran intervened. After the American fighter recovered, Beltran stood in front of him to ratify his fighting state.

Torres defeated Drew Dober via first-round TKO (punches) – 1:45 mark to end the affair. ‘El Loco’ has now styled four out five outings to stoppage wins. On a 4-1 run, he won a POTN bonus for his action. Drew Dober, who is prone to high-octane 155-pound affairs, drops to three in a row, but not without merit.

Fight fans react to Drew Dober’s late-stoppage loss

Even the most nostalgic knockouts moments can become borderline late by a margin of a few seconds. Manuel Torres beating the winds out of his opponent went something like that. The Mexican fighter did get his props for defeating a longtime veteran. However, it could have ended a lot earlier. Fans have expressed as much.

Fans react to Manuel Torres - Drew Dober affair at UFC Mexico
Fans react to Manuel Torres – Drew Dober affair at UFC Mexico (Source: X)

Sometimes, all it takes to win is just one shot, even against the most seasoned veteran. That much is true; sometimes, one is shot is also what it callously takes for neurodegenerative wear and tears. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is very potent in UFC/MMA cultures. Late stoppages edge and inch closer to causing it, which thus makes fans furious.

Is Drew Dober in the danger zone after another loss?

Drew Dobber did stoop to a measly 1-4 in his last five UFC outings. Manuel Torres finishing him off at the UFC on ESPN 64 co-main event did not help matters any. The Elevation Fight Team fighter is very close to fearing the axe. Another such defeat should just about do it for him.

UFC veteran Drew Dober on a sloppy running
UFC veteran Drew Dober on a sloppy running (Source: X)

But, Dober also remains a veteran of the lightweight roster and punctuated some records as such, at UFC Mexico. He became the seventh fighter in history to make 25+ UFC 155-pound appearances. Jim Miller, Clay Guida, Joe Lauzon, Gleison Tibau, Michael Johnson, and King Green tout those numbers.

Dober’s 10 stoppage victories in UFC lightweight competition tie for the fourth-most spot in the lineup. It trails behind Miller [17], submissions specialist Charles Oliveira [14], and Lauzon [13]. His 9 KO victories in UFC lightweight competition also tie for the most with veteran Dustin Poirier. So all in all, he isn’t without his merit.

While Torres took home a performance bonus for UFC Mexico, Dober didn’t go empty. UFC on ESPN 64: Moreno vs. Erceg fighters took home a massive Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout of $168,500. Drew Dober and Kelvin Gastelum, veterans that they are, lead the charge on the list with $21,000 in payouts. This is far from their final payout as the UFC always keep it private.

Related: WATCH! Fans witness nastiest elbow of 2023 from Manuel Torres