CSAC clears Drew Dober to fight at lightweight on UFC Lincoln card

Drew Dober’s battle with the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) to get cleared to fight at lightweight is over. And Dober is fine to continue his career at 155 pounds.

CSAC cleared Dober to fight against Jon Tuck at lightweight on the UFC Lincoln card Aug. 25 in Nebraska, commission executive officer Andy Foster told MMA Fighting on Friday. Dober was moved up to a minimum of 165 pounds after UFC 214 in July 2017 after coming into fight night well over the CSAC weight-cutting regulations.

After a process that included getting physician clearance and receiving multiple weight checks over Skype or FaceTime with CSAC, Dober was approved Friday after weighing 168 pounds, Foster said. The Nebraska Athletic Commission (NAC) was going to honor CSAC’s decision unless Dober was given the go-ahead.

Dober, 29, weighed 183 pounds on fight night at UFC 214 — an increase of 28 pounds and 18 percent above the lightweight limit. CSAC regulations state that any fighter who comes into fight night weighing more than 10 percent above the contracted weight class can be recommended to move up a division.

At the time, CSAC doctors said Dober “must” move up, because he was so heavy heading into the fight with Josh Burkman, which he won by first-round knockout. In either case, a physician can clear an athlete to continue on at the lower weight class with CSAC approval.

Dober (19-8, 1 NC) fought at welterweight in his last bout, a unanimous decision win over Frank Camacho at UFC on FOX 27. Dober and Camacho each won $50,000 for Fight of the Night for their performances.

Dober, a Nebraska native, has said that he feels stuck in between the welterweight and lightweight divisions, because of his body type. He’s only 5-foot-8 and would be much shorter than many opponents at 170 pounds. The UFC has yet to adopt a 165-pound division.

“I’m a thick guy,” Dober told MMA Fighting last year. “I’m a Flintstone. I’m a dense individual. … We’re stuck in the middle. We’ve just gotta try to make the best decisions.”