A.J. Dobson

A.J. Dobson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Shahbazyan (-198), Dobson (+164)

Round 1
In the “featured fight of the night” slot, two relatively young middleweights are both at a crossroads. After starting out his UFC tenure red hot and surging into the rankings, Shahbazyan (12-4, 5-4 UFC) has hit a wall and won just once in five outings. Dobson (7-2, 1 NC; 1-2 UFC) has not struggled quite as much, and a win could right his ship in the Octagon to .500. Both men will try to establish themselves while referee Mark Smith watches on, and they lead off with hands being clapped together. Shahbazyan lands first with a low kick, and Dobson springs into action with a three-punch combo. Shahbazyan tries another lazy kick, and Dobson once more meets him with three in a row. Dobson is a coiled spring ready to strike, and Shahbazyan is more cautious and landing single strikes. Dobson shrugs off a calf kick and puts a one-two on the chin, and he takes two left hands on the temple to back him off for a moment. Dobson chips at the lead leg twice until they crash together throwing hands, and he tags “The Golden Boy” with a right hand. Shahbazyan is stunned and shoots for a takedown, and Dobson stands him up with a guillotine choke try. Dobson looks to make him pay with short shots, and Shahbazyan gloms onto him and hits a trip takedown. Dobson scrambles madly to get out of bad position, and he manages to flip him over and get into the guard of his foe. Dobson connects with left hands, and Shahbazyan answers with elbows off his back. Dobson clubs his opponent with right hands until Shahbazyan wraps him up and looks for an armbar. Dobson shrugs it off and absorbs more elbows to the side of the head as Shahbazyan squirms his way to the fence. Shahbazyan stands back up with the wall behind him, and he lands a knee on the inside and turns Dobson around in the clinch. Shahbazyan tries to wrangle Dobson down to the mat, and Dobson nearly falls on top of him until Shahbazyan muscles his way back up. Dobson pushes off out of the clinch and catches Shahbazyan with a left hand, and he beats Shahbazyan to the punch with a pair of strikes. Dobson lunges out with a left, and he chains a few punches together and gets caught with a vicious left hand.
Dobson crumbles to the mat, and Shahbazyan jackhammers him with punches and ferocious elbows. Dobson teeters on the edge of consciousness as Shahbazyan delivers punishment, and the strikes put him out as his head bounces off the mat.
Shahbazyan continues punching until Smith recognizes that Dobson is unconscious and he calls a halt to the fight. What a dramatic round for Shahbazyan, who outlasts a rough few minutes to knock Dobson unconscious. This marks the first time that Dobson has been finished as a professional, while clocking in as Shahbazyan’s first stoppage in the first round since 2019.

The Official Result
Edmen Shahbazyan def. A.J. Dobson R1 4:33 via KO (Elbows and Punches)

A.J. Dobson vs. Jacob Malkoun

Round 1
Training partners of fan-favorite ex-UFC champs will come to blows in this middleweight encounter, as Strong Style Fight Team’s Dobson (6-0, 1 NC; 0-0 UFC) – home of Stipe Miocic – meets PMA Super Martial Arts prospect Malkoun (5-1, 1-1 UFC), a teammate of headliner Robert Whittaker. The third man in the cage for what could be a quick one is referee Herb Dean, who is ready for whatever comes his way as he bears witness to a touch of gloves. Dobson quickly fires off a right hand, and he slips back to sling a right hand as Malkoun just dodges in time. Dobson cracks his foe with a right hand, forcing the Aussie to shoot for a desperation takedown. Dobson gets lifted up in the air, but he slithers his legs down to the mat so that he can keep his balance and not get taken down, in an impressive display of balance. “Mamba” grinds Dobson against the fence until Dobson breaks off, and he loose a quick one-two that connects cleanly on the beard of Malkoun. Dobson tries to time a right hand low when Malkoun attacks for a takedown, and Dobson once more keeps his balance when Malkoun elevates him. The newcomer manages to break the grip, pushes off and returns to his preferred boxing range. Malkoun lets go with a few punches, but Dobson grabs him to knee him in the body a few times. Malkoun flicks out a jab, but Dobson ignores them and answers with some of his own. A quick chain of punches come out as Malkoun retreats, and he connects with a solid leg kick at the end of a combination. Dobson snaps the head back with a punch and goes up high with a kick, and every strike that lands seems to draw a reaction out of his opponent. Malkoun sits down on a right hand, but Dobson does not even budge when it smacks into his cheek. Dobson stands firm, delivering a couple more one-twos and a body kick. When Malkoun lifts his man’s leg up in pursuit of a takedown, Dobson hops back and bounces off the cage wall to get free. Dobson gives chase when he lands a few punches, and Malkoun is rocked from an accumulation of damage. Dobson takes the center of the cage and swats at his shaky man, clipping him with a left hook and a one-two that bounces off the side of the head. Malkoun drops down low for a single, lifting Dobson’s leg up in the air and finally securing a takedown. He can only maintain top position for a few seconds before the round ends.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Dobson
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Dobson
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Dobson

Round 2
They clap hands to start of the second round, and Dobson, brimming with confidence, strides out with a few jabs. He gets off a right hand, and closes the distance to slam a knee into the Aussie’s midsection. As he lands a few more strikes, he draws out another takedown entry from “Mamba,” but that too fails as Dobson turns him around and knees him in the body. They jockey for position against the fence, and Malkoun stays doggedly in pursuit of a takedown but nothing presents itself. Dobson is able to get Malkoun to back off when he sets up a Thai clinch, and he misses a knee by an inch. Malkoun resets, crashes forward and secures a takedown. The American gets to his knees without much issue, stands back up, and gets wrenched back down with a mat return. Malkoun begins to smash Dobson in the side of the head with his fists, and Dobson is hurt and in trouble as cornerman Mark Coleman bellows for Dobson to get up. Malkoun does not let him up, raining down left hands as he keeps Dobson stuck on a knee. The strikes turn from damaging ones to more frustrating shots, but Malkoun is able to step over and sit down on Dobson’s thigh to ground him. Dobson thinks to explode, but Malkoun continues to grind and slug Dobson in the face with powerful left hands. Malkoun pursues a guillotine choke when working Dobson over, and he fails on that but does not let Dobson off the hook. Dobson bursts back to his feet with 10 seconds to go, and he pops Malkoun with a pair of punches before the bell.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-8 Malkoun
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun

Round 3
The middleweights greet in the center of the cage, and Dobson appears energized when back upright again. He flicks out a jab that makes Malkoun blink it out a few times, and he catches Malkoun coming in with a right hand. The Aussie changes levels for a takedown, and the defense does not hold up for Dobson this time, as he gets pulled down to the mat. Dobson remains on his knees before jumping back up, and he succumbs to a mat return when Malkoun powers him back down. “Mamba” holds on from behind, landing sporadic right hands until the unbeaten fighter stands up. Malkoun continues his assault of takedown tries, and he sucks Dobson’s legs out beneath him and lands in half guard. Dobson wriggles himself to the corner between the floor and the wall, and Coleman’s encouragement is still somehow louder than all the boos raining down in the building combined. Malkoun does not register the crowd’s disappointment with his “embrace the grind” tactics, as he thumps down on Dobson with right hands. The fighters start talking to each other, with Dobson admitting his foe is stronger than he thought, and they continue to converse as Malkoun is pounding on him. Dobson tries to get into a slugfest from his back, with punches from his back, but Malkoun’s are considerably harder. Malkoun switches from punches to elbows as he staves off a standup from Dean, and precious seconds tick off the clock while Malkoun grinds him out. With just a few seconds left in the fight, Dobson somersaults backwards to get out of the position, stands up and wings a high kick, but it comes up short of the mark right before the fight ends.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (29-28 Malkoun)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (29-27 Malkoun)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (29-28 Malkoun)

The Official Result
Jacob Malkoun def. A.J. Dobson via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)