Canadian lightweight Kyle (Killshot) Prepolec has had a tough time in the UFC, suffering three losses in three appearances to date.
But two of these battles were disrupted in a short time. He faced a ranked opponent, fought in a higher weight class, was eliminated, and then – five fights later – withdrawn.
It's no wonder he says fighting in the UFC is like riding “the craziest roller coaster of your life.”
Prepolec (18-9-0) continues his second round in the mixed martial arts promotion on Saturday when he faces American Drew Dober (27-15-0 with one loss) at Fight Night in Vancouver.
The 36-year-old from Windsor, Ontario, can't wait.
“This is probably the best I’ve felt in a very long time,” Prepolec said. “With the right camp, the strength and conditioning needed, traveling to other high-level gyms with high-level people, just really dedicating the time to getting better at my craft.”
Prepolets trained with other Canadian UFC fighters at Niagara Top Team. He has also worked with Canadian Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Dante Leon.
Dober needs a win after losing his last three fights to Manuel (El Loco) Torres, (Lord) Jean Silva and Renato (Mani Moicano) Carneiro. — and four of the last five.
But Dober, who turns 37 on Sunday, has plenty of experience with a 13-11-0 record and one loss in the UFC since making his promotional debut in November 2013. He has victories over Jamie (C-4) Varner, Joshua (The People's Champ) Berkman and (The King) Bobby Green.
“He’s a dog,” Prepolec said. “He's been there for a long time. He's a veteran. He's very good at what he does, but so am I. Let's see whose night it is.”
Prepolets also has teeth.
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Fourteen of his 18 wins came by finish, 10 by knockout and four by submission. Although he was knocked out three times, none of his nine losses were by knockout.
Prepolec made his UFC debut on short notice in May 2019, moving up a division to face Canadian welterweight Nordine Taleb in Ottawa. The five-foot-ten, 170-pound Prepolec was 4.5 inches in reach and three inches in height compared to Montreal's Taleb, who already had 10 UFC fights under his belt.
Prepolets lost a unanimous decision (30-27), but gained recognition along the way.
“This guy doesn't give up. I'm very impressed,” said former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping, who helped announce the fight.
Prepolec returned to lightweight in September 2019 to face Austin (Thad) Hubbard in Vancouver at Fight Night.
Prepolec weighed in at 156 pounds and looked more comfortable leading the first round. But Hubbard scored two takedowns in the second round and another in the third, finishing with a time limit of five minutes and 42 seconds (compared to Prepolec's 47 seconds).
“He was tough, he was very tough,” said Hubbard, who won by decision (29-28).
The UFC released Prepolec in March 2020. Injuries and the pandemic sidelined him until December 2021, when he earned a split decision victory over Michael (The Canadian Badass) Dufort for the Samourai MMA promotion in Quebec.
Five months later, he lost to former UFC fighter Shane Campbell in Unified MMA, rebounded to win his next three fights (all with first-round wins) and earned his ticket back to the UFC.
He returned in May with a submission loss to France's Benoit (God of War) St. Denis after taking the first fight of the UFC 315 main card in Montreal in less than a week.
Prepolec, who trains and teaches at the Windsor Maximum Training Center, called it “the opportunity of a lifetime” and a “lottery chance.”
It is also unlikely given that St. Denis was the 13/1 favorite and the 13th ranked lightweight contender.
Prepolek didn't get a chance to show off his skills against St. Denis, a former French Army soldier, scoring three takedowns and finishing the fight with a 54-12 advantage in significant strikes.
Prepolec caught the attention of St. Denis with a few strikes in the second round, but was taken down again after being punished with a series of nasty elbows and knees. He was finished off with an arm triangle choke.
Before entering the UFC, Prepolek defeated former UFC fighter Cody (Pfist) Pfister and lost to Kevin (Motown Phenom) Lee, who had 10 fights in the UFC.
He holds regional titles in the BTC Fights, TXC and Samourai MMA promotions.
Prepolec's journey into martial arts began with boxing, which he picked up to bolster his hockey game as a child.
“I kind of fell in love with it,” he said.
After adding wrestling in high school, he began training in MMA. He had just turned 19 when he made his professional debut in October 2008, stopping Justin Turner in 30 seconds.
“It just clicked,” he recalls. “I thought, 'This is exactly what I want to do.'
Saturday's main event at Rogers Arena features (Dutch Knight) No. 4 ranked middleweight contender Reinier de Ridder taking on No. 9 ranked Brendan (all-in) Allen.
