UFC fighter Roman Dolidze finally got his revenge against Marvin Vettori in the UFC Vegas 104 main event.
The two fighters have had a long-standing rivalry, with Dolidze suffering a loss the last time they met in the octagon. However, this time, Dolidze came in with an improved game plan and displayed superior skill.
The match started similarly to their previous bout, with both fighters exchanging strikes and maintaining the same pace through the first and second rounds. However, the fight was soon interrupted by the referee, who warned Dolidze about extending his fingers. Shortly after, Vettori suffered an eye poke, but the referee chose not to deduct a point.
The fight resumed, and Vettori soon found an opening, landing a hard right hand that rocked his opponent. The Georgian quickly recovered, keeping his defences up as Vettori continued searching for another opening.
Dolidze soon regained his composure and began launching powerful attacks that started to slow down his opponent. He continued to chip away at Vettori’s defenses, leaving him little room for recovery. Minutes away from the final horn, Dolidze unleashed a head kick followed by knee strikes that left Vettori dazed. He continued his relentless onslaught, giving Vettori no opportunity to recover until the fight came to an end, securing a unanimous decision victory.
“I want to say a big thanks to Marvin for agreeing to fight me,” Dolidze said after his win. “It was a big and important test for me. This fight was very important for me—first of all, mentally—to show I can go five rounds hard.
“In the first fight, I was going hard just because of my aggression, but this time I was ready. I was controlling my aggression, and that was a very important key for me. I can go hard in the first round, but I can also go hard for five rounds and still keep going.”
The fighter went on to call out Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker as potential next opponents.
“I deserve a top-five fight,” Dolidze shouted. “There are two realistic fights for me—it’s [Robert] Whittaker or [Israel] Adesanya. Let’s go! Just give me a date, nothing more.”
Now that he is likely to return to the top 10 in the official UFC middleweight rankings, Roman Dolidze feels it’s time to face a major name.
“Both of these guys have strong names,” Dolidze said. “What’s more important to me is the name. Of course, Adesanya has been on top longer, so it would be a bigger fight for me, but Whittaker was also a champion. He’s a very good fighter. It’s not about personality or anything—it’s all about the name and the quality of the opponent. Adesanya would, of course, be the bigger fight if we’re talking about name recognition.”
His opponent, on the other hand, was at a loss for words after his defeat. Vettori had been on a one-year layoff and had planned for a major comeback, but he was caught off guard by the outcome. In a recent Instagram story, Vettori shared his thoughts on the fight.
“Nothing too bad, just some cuts and bruises,” Vettori said. “F*ck man, sometimes life shows you that even if you give your heart and everything you’ve got, you still fall short. That was a close fight. I almost had him in the third [round], but I guess it wasn’t enough.”
“F*ck. I don’t even know what to say,” Vettori continued. “Thank you to [American Top Team], the best in the world… thank you, UFC. What the f*ck can I say? I don’t know. That’s it.”
