CB Dollaway on UFC 186 foe Michael Bisping: His weakness is my strength
CB Dollaway headed into his main event showdown with Lyoto Machida late last year on a two-fight win streak and having won four out of his last five contests. The 31-year-old faced a tough challenge in Machida, sure, but also saw in the matchup a big opportunity and a chance to see where he stood among the UFC's elite.
After losing via knockout to Machida in just over a minute, Dollaway was left dejected. It wasn't just losing, but the way he lost that bothered Dollaway.
"There was a lot of frustrations, lots of disappointment," he tells FOX Sports.
"I wanted to test myself and see where I was at. I wanted to be able to see if I could take Machida down, could I do this, could I do that. I never got to try because everything ended so quickly. All that work, all that preparation, I wanted to see how a five-round fight felt. I wanted to get that experience under my belt. I didn't get to."
The "Doberman" took some time to rest and to look at the brief fight with Machida to find areas to improve on. Though the result was more about what Machida did great than anything Dollaway did poorly, the fighter was honest in his evaluation of his work.
"I looked back to see why did that happen, how it happened," he says in reference to the body-kick KO that Machida scored over him.
"I have to keep my elbows tighter to my body. There wasn't much space, but he snuck it under. A lot of guys don't throw that kick from the angle that it came from. I had to figure that out. I also decided to not ever let who I am facing affect me. I had extra nerves becuase I was fighting a former world champion. Everybody is a man. I've just got to go out there and fight. You have to do what you do so you don't let him do what he does. You might as well implement what you're trying to do, and if you get caught, so be it."
On Saturday night in Montreal, Dollaway will step back into the octagon and take on another big star, but one who he says is a better matchup for him than Machida was -- Michael Bisping. "It is no secret that Lyoto Machida was not the best matchup for me," he says.
"Bisping is a much more equally matched fight. He is as big or bigger of a name, as well. A lot of people know who Bisping is. He's got a lot of fans and a lot of haters."
Bisping has already spoken out and predicted that Dollaway, a wrestling-based middleweight, will not be able to take him down and will get desperate just minutes into their co-main event. Dollaway shrugs at the comments from the confident Brit.
"He's doing what he's got to do and saying what he's got to say. He's building the fight up," he says.
"I know he's got worries about the matchup just as I do, just as every fighter does before a fight. There are aspects of my game that I know are concerning him."
With Dollaway using the best part of his repertoire, fans can expect him to try to put "The Count" down on his back with takedowns.
"His weakest point (wrestling) is my strongest point," he says.
"And I've improved so much on what used to be a weak point for me -- stand-up striking. I've had immense improvement there. I feel I can stand with him, and I feel I can still knock him out. I don't think he has that option. If things go bad for him on the feet, it is not like he's going to bust out takedowns."
