LAS VEGAS – Drew Dober knew he was in for a tough fight against a young up-and-comer, but did not foresee the whirlwind of a battle that unfolded.

On Saturday at UFC Fight Night 203, Dober (24-11 MMA, 10-7 UFC) shared the cage with Terrance McKinney, a rising talent with excellent finishing ability. Dober was originally scheduled to face Ricky Glenn, but when McKinney (12-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) became an option as a short-notice replacement, he jumped at the opportunity.

“We had options as far as last-minute replacements and as soon as I saw Terrance’s name, like I said, I want the great fights,” Dober told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the post-fight news conference. “I want the fantastic fights and as soon as that name popped up, I’m like, ‘That would be an incredible one.’ Like I said, I’m not looking to squeak my way back into the division, I want to make some loud noises, and have fantastic fights. By the time I’m old and a grandfather, I get to tell my grandchildren all of these stories.”

The story of this fight will certainly be one to tell, as Dober had to overcome an early onslaught of punishment from McKinney before ultimately finishing the fight himself in the first round.

“I was never out of the fight,” Dober said. “This is not my first rodeo, I’ve been hit real hard before in past fights. I definitely know what I’m capable of. I’ve been here before. It was all about staying composed, staying in motion, and intelligently defending myself.

“I knew he was gonna come out hot. I misjudged, I thought he was going to wrestle a bit more, and he came out with a flying knee, which landed pretty well. But I definitely know that he’s a first-round finisher and we’ve never seen him in the second round, so I was trying to take him into that second and see how much grit and heart does he have. Because at the end of the day, I’m the one that has heart.”

Dober was able to survive the early scares from McKinney and flip the script quickly when he realized his opponent ran out of gas. From that point, Dober went to work landing punches until he dropped McKinney and forced the TKO stoppage to cap off an insane comeback.

The win snapped a two-fight skid for Dober, having lost to Islam Makhachev and Brad Riddell in 2021. Prior to the setbacks, he ripped through three straight opponents, picking up stoppages over Polo Reyes, Nasrat Haqparast, and Alexander Hernandez.