How Michael Bisping motivated Roman Dolidze to score knockout win at UFC Fight Night 213

LAS VEGAS – Roman Dolidze took inspiration from Michael Bisping’s words.

Dolidze (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) knocked out an injured Phil Hawes (12-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in Round 1 of their Saturday middleweight bout at UFC Fight Night 213 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The knockout finish marked the Georgian fighter’s second straight.

Prior to those knockout wins, Dolidze said he was critiqued by Bisping for his fighting style and wanted to remind him that he could also put opponents away on the feet – and it worked.

“When I wrestled two fights ago, I was just beating guys only with wrestling and grappling,” Dolidze told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 213 post-fight press conference. “He said, ‘Yes, he won this fight, but no one will like him.’ I said, ‘OK, I will remember that,’ and last two fights I had knockouts. It was true. He motivated me for fighting more in standup, striking techniques.”

Dolidze now is 5-1 in the octagon and thinks he’s due for a big-name opponent next.

“I just want good guys,” Dolidze said. “I don’t care who it will be, but I want guys with better names – top 10 or not top 10, I don’t care. I just want better names – better names, that’s all, because I want to go higher. I want to beat good guys, and sometimes the top 10 or top 15 doesn’t mean they are better fighters than Phil Hawes or Kyle Daukaus. They are just more famous.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 213.