Canadian lightweight fighter Kyle (Killshot) Prepolec is seen during the UFC official weight in in Richmond, B.C., Friday, Sept. 13, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Canadian lightweight Kyle (Killshot) Prepolec has not had it easy in the UFC, with three losses in his three appearances to date.

But two of those bouts were taken on short notice. He has taken on a ranked opponent, fought in a higher weight class, been cut and then — five fights later — recalled.

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 go-round in the mixed martial arts promotion Saturday when he faces American Drew Dober (27-15-0 with one no-contest) on a Fight Night card in Vancouver.

The 36-year-old from Windsor, Ont., can't wait.

"This is probably the best I've felt in a very long time," said Prepolec. "With a proper camp, proper strength and conditioning, travelling to other high-level gyms with high-level people, just really dedicating the time to be better at my craft."

Prepolec has trained with other Canadian UFC fighters at Niagara Top Team. He also worked with Canadian Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Dante Leon.

Dober needs a win, having lost his last three fights — to Manuel (El Loco) Torres, (Lord) Jean Silva and Renato (Money Moicano) Carneiro— and four of his last five.

But Dober, who turns 37 on Sunday, has plenty of experience with a 13-11-0 record with one no-contest in the UFC since making his debut in the promotion in November 2013. He holds wins over Jamie (C-4) Varner, Joshua (The People's Champion) Burkman and (King) Bobby Green.

"He's a dog," Prepolec said. "He's been in 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 that night."

Prepolec also has teeth.

Fourteen of his 18 wins have been via finish, 10 via knockout and four by submission. While he has been submitted three times, none of his nine losses came by KO.

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-10 Prepolec, who weighed in at 170 pounds, was giving up 4.5 inches in reach and three in height to the Montreal-based Taleb, who already had 10 UFC fights under his belt.

Prepolec lost by unanimous decision (30-27) but won kudos along the way.

"There's no quit in this guy. I'm very impressed," said former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping, who helped call the fight.

Prepolec returned to lightweight in September 2019 to face Austin (Thud) Hubbard in Vancouver on a Fight Night card.

Prepolec weighed in at 156 pounds and looked more comfortable, leading the dance in the first round. But Hubbard landed two takedowns in the second round and another in the third, finishing with five minutes 42 seconds of control time (compared to just 47 seconds for Prepolec).

"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 scored a split-decision win over Michael (The Canadian Badass) Dufort in the Quebec-based Samourai MMA promotion.

He lost to former UFC fighter Shane Campbell five months later in Unified MMA, rebounding to win his next three outings — all by first-round finishes — to earn his ticket back to the UFC.

He returned in May, losing by submission to France’s Benoit (God of War) Saint-Denis after accepting the opening bout of the UFC 315 main card in Montreal on less than a week's notice.

Prepolec, who trains and teaches at Windsor's Maximum Training Center, called it the "opportunity of a lifetime" and a "lottery shot."

Also a long shot, given Saint-Denis was a 13/1 favourite and ranked 13th among lightweight contenders.

Prepolec did not get a chance to showcase his skills with Saint-Denis, a former member of the French military, completing three takedowns and finishing the fight with a 54-12 edge in significant strikes.

Prepolec got St. Denis' attention with some strikes in the second round, but was taken down again after being punished with a string of nasty elbows and knees. He was finished off via arm-triangle choke.

Prior to making the UFC, Prepolec had beaten former UFC fighter Cody (The Pfist) Pfister and lost to Kevin (The Motown Phenom) Lee, who went on to fight 10 times in the UFC.

He has held regional titles in the BTC Fights, TXC and Samourai MMA promotions.

Prepolec's martial arts journey started via boxing, which he picked up to add strength to his hockey game growing up.

"I kind of fell in love with it," he said.

Adding wrestling in high school, he started to focus on MMA. He had just turned 19 when he made his pro debut in October 2008, stopping Justin Turner in 30 seconds.

"It just clicked," he recalled. "I was like 'This is exactly what I want to do.'"

Saturday's main event at Rogers Arena pits (The Dutch Knight) Reinier de Ridder, ranked fourth among middleweight contenders, against No. 9 Brendan (All In) Allen.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2025

News from © The Canadian Press, 2025