UFC 206 results: Olivier Aubin-Mercier finishes Drew Dober with yet another rear-naked choke

TORONTO – When “The Ultimate Fighter Nations” finalist Olivier Aubin-Mercier got Drew Dober’s back, it was no surprise that a rear-naked choke followed.

What was a surprise was the striking Aubin-Mercier (9-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) put on display early in the fight, catching Dober 17-7 MMA, 3-4 UFC) with a solid jab and straight left.

The lightweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC 206 event at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. It aired on FS1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on pay-per-view.

The fight was called at the 2:57 mark of the second frame after Dober tapped to the choke, Aubin-Mercier’s seventh such finish in his professional career.

The “TUF” winner found a finish on the mat, but it wasn’t by his hand that he wound up there. Dober, anxious to erase the deficit from the first round, came out ready and landed a left hand that dropped Aubin-Mercier.

The Canadian cleared his head and attacked a leg, forcing a scramble that allowed him to get on top. When Dober tried to escape, he gave up his back, setting the end in motion.

Dober’s face, however, was already bloodied from Aubin-Mercier’s previous work. He walked straight into jabs and left hands as he closed the distance, and several times lost his footing as he tried to engage with his muay Thai.

Known almost exclusively as a grappling specialist, Aubin-Mercier might have closed the show with his signature skill. But he showed off some new tricks in the process. He now has won two straight in the UFC, while Dober loses momentum after back-to-back wins.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 206 results include:

• Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Drew Dober via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:57
• Viviane Pereira def. Valerie Letourneau via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Matthew Lopez def. Mitch Gagnon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
• Lando Vannata def. John Makdessi via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 1:40
• Rustam Khabilov def. Jason Saggo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Dustin Ortiz def. Zach Makovsky via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

For complete coverage of UFC 206, check out the UFC Events section of the site.