This is the UFC FIGHT PASS focus on UFC 203…
Yancy Medeiros VS Sean Spencer
No matter what happens in this one, fans might be calling for a rematch as soon as it’s over. That’s how appealing and closely-matched this UFC FIGHT PASS Featured Bout is. Sean Spencer returned from over a year off in February, and when he said he was a new fighter, you could hear it in his voice. And once the Octagon door closed against Mike Pyle, he proved it. No, he didn’t get the win, getting stopped in round three, but he did get a Fight of the Night bonus and plenty of people wanting to see him back in action. They’ll get their wish on Saturday, and if Spencer is looking for a suitable dance partner to get another Fight of the Night bonus, there are few better than Hawaii’s Yancy Medeiros. Making his UFC welterweight debut, Medeiros is a submission specialist who loves to strike, and that combination is more than conducive to an all-action matchup with Spencer that will likely end before the final horn sounds.
CB Dollaway is a lot better than a 0-3 record in his last three fights would have you believe. For a while, it looked like the former Ultimate Fighter finalist – who went 4-1 from 2012 to 2014 – was going to make a title run at 185 pounds. Then losses to Lyoto Machida, Michael Bisping and Nate Marquardt sent “The Doberman” to 205 pounds and the drawing board. And that may be a good thing. At 33, cutting down to 185 pounds couldn’t have been easy for him, and if he can defeat the underrated and tough Barroso this Saturday, he may just have rejuvenated his career. As for Nova Uniao’s Barroso, he’s a tough out for anyone, so Dollaway won’t be getting a warm welcome to the light heavyweight division. It will be a good barometer of where he stands, though.
Drew Dober VS Jason Gonzalez
Originally scheduled to face Erik Koch this weekend, Drew Dober instead gets Octagon newcomer Jason Gonzalez in a bout that – while not as high-profile – can get Dober some momentum in an up and down UFC run thus far. Owner of a 2-3, 1 NC record in the promotion thus far, Dober got a big win in January when he defeated previously unbeaten Scott Holtzman, and while eight months away from the game since then isn’t ideal, training with Team Elevation in Denver will undoubtedly have Dober sharp and ready for the debuting Gonzalez, a Millennia MMA standout who is familiar to Ultimate Fighter fans thanks to his stint with Team Faber on season 22. A finisher who has six submissions and four knockouts, Gonzalez has seized a golden opportunity, and he may surprise once fight night rolls around.