Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has assembled a pivotal middleweight matchup for the upcoming UFC 286 pay-per-view (PPV) event, recently made official for Sat., March 18, 2022 at The O2 Arena in London, England.
Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze, according to ESPN.
Vettori (18-6-1) is looking to rebound from his unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker at the UFC Paris event back in September. Prior to that, “The Italian Dream” rattled off a 6-1 record dating back to his Israel Adesanya loss at UFC on FOX 29 in early 2018.
Dolidze (12-1) is on a torrid four-fight wining streak, which includes his technical knockout win over Jack Hermansson at UFC Orlando earlier this month. The 34 year-old Georgian is currently ranked No. 8 in the middleweight division, four spots below Vettori.
A potential spot in the division Top 5 hangs in the balance.
UFC 286 does not yet have an official main event, but reigning welterweight champion Leon Edwards is expected to defend his 170-pound title. It’s just a question of whether or not Kamaru Usman will be healthy enough to run it back by the time March rolls around.
Expect more UFC 286 fight card announcements in the coming weeks.