Anthony Hernandez dominated Roman Dolidze from the second round onward, delivering a punishing performance at UFC Vegas 109 that ended with a fourth-round rear-naked choke. The loss halted Dolidze’s three-fight win streak and kept Hernandez’s momentum alive as he pushed toward a title shot.
Hernandez came out relentless, pressuring Dolidze on the feet, landing heavy shots, and securing multiple takedowns. By Round 4, he was controlling every exchange, battering Dolidze from one side of the Octagon to the other before locking in the fight-ending submission.
“I almost lost my cool,” Hernandez admitted at the post-fight press conference. “I was pissed off and I saw the neck and I was just like fck you. At the end of the day, hats off to Roman. He’s a tough motherfcker. I’ve got nothing but respect for the guy. He’s f*cking super awesome. Super nice, all media day. When I get hit and shit, I lose it and I get mad and I want to kill you. But it’s nothing personal to you.”
Hernandez revealed that his temper nearly got the best of him earlier in the fight. However, from early on, he sensed the fight was his to win.
“I got hot headed that one time and started walking towards him and talking hella shit like ‘come on bitch!’ But my coaches yelled, ‘hey motherfcker, stay calm!’ and I listened. My team knows me so well, they know how to chill me the fck out.”
“When I saw how slow his punches were and he hit me with his hardest shot, I knew instantly. I’m a f*cking kickboxer, bro. I’m comfortable on my feet. Wrestling breaks people, and my team gives me a game plan. This is a team effort. We all put in the work for it.”
While Hernandez eyes the middleweight belt, Roman Dolidze took the setback with grace. In a heartfelt Instagram post, Dolidze thanked his supporters and promised to keep moving forward.
“Thank you everybody for the support. I’m feeling good. Fight business is like that. Sometimes it doesn’t go to plan,” Dolidze wrote. “I want to say big thank you to my coaches, to [Xtreme Couture and the UFC PI] family and everyone who has supported me. Thank God for everything! No step back! Onto the next. Feeling good, just a little sore. Nothing can stop us, it’s just a fight. There is strength in unity. See you soon in Georgia! The result is not the one we wanted, but it’s just fights. Keep moving on.”
Before the loss to Hernandez, Roman Dolidze earned impressive wins over Marvin Vettori, Kevin Holland, and Anthony Smith at light heavyweight. The defeat may have stalled his run toward title contention, but his determination suggests he’ll be back in the mix soon.
As for Hernandez, he’ll be cageside in Chicago for UFC 319 to watch Dricus du Plessis defend his middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev. Whether he gets the winner next or takes another fight first, Hernandez made one thing clear, he’s after the gold.
