Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight finishers Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov will clash TONIGHT (Sat., Feb. 3, 2024) at UFC Vegas 85 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
2022 proved a banner year for Dolidze, as three straight finishes at 185 pounds moved him off the undercard and into the prime time. Unfortunately, his sole appearance last year was a competitive loss to Marvin Vettori, but Dolidze remains a Top 10-ranked contender. Similarly, Imavov was winless last year, suffering a defeat to Sean Strickland and “No Contest” versus Chris Curtis. Both athletes have obvious talent, but they need to rebound here to return to the title mix.
Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man:
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Roman Dolidze
Record: 12-2
Key Wins: Jack Hermansson (UFC Orlando), Phil Hawes (UFC Vegas 63), Kyle Daukaus (UFC Austin), Laureano Staropoli (UFC Vegas 28)
Key Losses: Marvin Vettori (UFC 286), Trevin Giles (UFC Vegas 22)
Keys to Victory: Dolidze is a complicated fighter. On the feet, he certainly hits hard, but then he’ll also just wing overhands and head kicks without a ton of thought behind his offense. Then, only if taken down, he’ll demonstrate some of the most beautiful jiu-jitsu we’ve ever seen in the Octagon.
A mix of both approaches seems necessary here. On the feet, Dolidze is probably going to get jabbed up, but he’s tough enough to walk through a lot of those shots. I’d like to see him kicking the legs a bit to counter the jab, then swarming with power shots to keep Imavov on his back foot and start wearing on the gas tank.
Dolidze pressured Vettori well last time out, but he didn’t really try to wrestle all that much. Imavov has struggled a bit with getting taken down in the past, and Dolidze should hold a solid grappling advantage. If he can mix his pressure and takedowns, he stands a fair shot at fatiguing Imavov and taking over in the later rounds.
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Nassourdine Imavov
Record: 12-4 (1)
Key Wins: Joaquin Buckley (UFC Paris), Edmen Shahbazyan (UFC 268), Ian Heinisch (UFC Vegas 32)
Key Losses: Sean Strickland (UFC Vegas 67), Phil Hawes (UFC Vegas 19)
Keys to Victory: Imavov has speed. The rangy Middleweight moves loosely around the Octagon, snapping jabs and kicks that often convince his opponents wrestling is a necessity. Several times, he’s outlasted the takedown barrage and then battered a tired opponent immediately afterward.
Frankly, the book is kind of written on how to defeat Dolidze. He’s just not a particularly technical kickboxer, and while his takedowns are decent, he’s yet to show an ability to consistently gain top position against top talent.
There are two ways this can go wrong for Imavov: if he screws up (by getting hit by an overhand or taken down when he should not) or if he fatigues. The first happens some times — MMA is crazy — but the latter should be managed. I’m not even fully convinced that Dolidze has the cardio edge here given how he fatigued vs. Laureano Staropoli, but Imavov can improve his chances by managing his output, picking and choosing when to exchange with Dolidze.
He has the footwork and range management skills to dance around and recover between exchanges. Use them!
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Bottom Line
A Top 10 ranking is on the line.
Dolidze is still fairly young in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, but he’s also 35 years of age. Though his age is excusable to a degree at Middleweight, it still feels like the time is now for a Dolidze title push. The division is wide open, and he’s already in the Top 10. It only takes a couple wins to score an opportunity.
His No. 8 position is also at risk here. That’s the spot Imavov is aiming to steal, a big opportunity despite the mixed results in his last two bouts. Imavov has a chance to break into that upper echelon at just 28 years old, which is promising for his future as a potential title challenger.
He has the skills … but Imavov has to perform.
At UFC Vegas 85, Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov will go to war in the main event. Which man will earn the victory?
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 85 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.
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