What’s Next For Roman Dolidze?

UFC Vegas 85 blew the roof off the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Nevada last Saturday night (Feb. 3, 2024), leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Diana Belbita, who suffered a first-round submission loss at the hands of Molly McCann (see it again here).

And Drew Dober, who came up short via unanimous decision against Renato Moicano (recap here). But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?

Roman Dolidze.

Coming into his first-ever UFC headlining gig, Dolidze was trying to erase the memory of his loss to Marvin Vettori almost a year ago. That’s a long time to sit on the sidelines to mull over a defeat that snapped a four-fight win streak that took two years to build.

But instead of making things right for himself, Dolidze wound up on the wrong-end of a majority decision defeat, his third overall loss inside the Octagon. It wasn’t Dolidze’s best performance, and he could never really get much going, not even in grappling department where he usually shines.

With two straight losses and not the best showings, the Georgian-born fighter could find himself on the outside of the Top 10 looking in later this week. It’s especially puzzling to see him struggle since Dolidze was on a three-fight streak where he battered and bruised his opponents, stopping them via strikes prior to his skid. Now, he will be going into his next outing with immense pressure on his shoulders facing the possibility of losing his third straight.

As far as what could be next for him, perhaps a showdown against the loser of the upcoming fight between Marvin Vettori and Brendan Allen is in order. After all, I suggested Imavov face the winner. Still, it makes sense because all combatants are close to each other in the Top 10.

Another loss for Dolidze would be disastrous for his UFC career, which could potentially lead to him moving up a weight class, which is the normal move when a fighter goes on a bad losing streak. In fact, don’t be too surprised if he decides to make the jump sooner, rather than later.

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For complete UFC Vegas 85: “Dolidze vs. Imavov” results and play-by-play, click HERE.