- Rafael Alves opens as betting underdog against Drew Dober.
- Alves is currently listed at +240 odds while Dober hit the betting boards at a price of -280.
- Alves and Dober are set to meet in a lightweight bout at UFC 277 on July 30 in Dallas.
Rafael Alves will be the betting underdog once again when he steps inside the Octagon to face Drew Dober at UFC 277 on July 30 in Dallas.
Alves hit the betting boards at +240 odds when the best UFC betting sites first debuted their UFC 277 betting boards. Meanwhile, Dober opened at -280 odds:
UFC 277 Opening Odds:
Rafael Alves (+240)
Drew Dober (-280) https://t.co/f7VpgTnHol #UFC277— FightOdds.io (@FightOdds_io) June 7, 2022
Rafael Alves Chokes Out Mark Diakiese
UFC Vegas 42 video: Rafael Alves shocks Marc Diakiese with flying knee, then chokes him out (@MMAFightingSM) https://t.co/KTZRLTpGID pic.twitter.com/ZODVgv0Qxb
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) November 13, 2021
Rafael Alves picked up his first win inside the UFC Octagon at UFC Fight Night 197 when he shocked Mark Diakiese with a flying knee before choking out the former BAMMA Lonsdale British lightweight champion. The 31-year-old from Belem, Para, Brazil is now 1-1 in the UFC after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Damir Ismagulov in his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 188.
Known as “The Turn”, Alves fought for promotions like Amazon Fight, Jungle Fight, and Combate Americas before coming to the United States to compete for Titan FC. The Brazilian entered the Contender Series in 2020 where he submitted Alejandro Flores Garcia to earn a UFC contract. He was supposed to make his UFC debut at UFC Vegas 19 against Pat Sabatini last February but became controversial after missing weight by 11.5 pounds. Alves is 20-10 with seven knockouts and eight submission wins.
This will mark the third consecutive bout where Alves has opened with the plus money sign written next to his name. He was a huge +485 betting underdog against Ismagulov and was also the +240 bottom dog when he faced Diakiese. Overall, Alves has been favored only once in his last six bouts and that was when he fought at the Contender Series where he was listed at -120.
What a Comeback from Drew Dober
What a comeback from Drew Dober!
He ate heavy shots from Terrance McKinney from the opening bell but turned it around to get the first round finish! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/oKjivXac3J
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) March 13, 2022
Drew Dober snapped a two-fight losing skid by stopping Terrance McKinney in the opening round of their UFC Vegas 50 bout last March 12th. Dober ate heavy shots from McKinney from the opening bell but somehow, the veteran was able to turn it around and get the first-round finish. Prior to that win, Dober had lost back-to-back fights against Islam Makhachev and Brad Riddell.
The 33-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska has been competing since 2009 and has appeared for promotions like Bellator MMA and Titan FC. Dober was a competitor at The Ultimate Fighter 15 Tournament but was eliminated in the entry round. He joined the UFC in 2013 and has had an up and down run inside the Octagon. His best wins have come against the likes of Frank Camacho, Josh Burkman, and Nasrat Haqparast. Dober is 24-11 with 11 knockouts and six submission victories.
For Dober, this marks the third time that he will have the minus money sign placed next to his name in a UFC bout. He was the -145 betting favorite when he lost to Riddell. Dober also entered the Octagon at -170 when he fought McKinney the last time out. As an underdog, Dober’s best win was when he defeated Haqparast at +285 odds.
