UFC Vegas 104: Dolidze Avenges Defeat With A Win Over Vettori
Roman Dolidze avenged his loss in the first fight against Marvin Vettori, winning a unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 104: 49-46, 49-46, 49-46.
It was the third win on the spin for Dolidze, who overcame a determined Vettori to win on the cards. The first two rounds were fairly close. Dolize was looking to land heavy blows early, with Vettori focusing on the thigh and calf kicks. A clash of heads paused the fight, while between rounds one and two, Dolidze was told to close his hands to avoid eye pokes. Vettori was eventually poked, but Dolidze was lucky not to get a point deducted.
As the fight restarted, Dolidze connected with a right hook before Vettori responded with some low kicks to close the second. Vettori found major success in the third, buckling Dolidze with a left on the counter. Vettori moved forward, looking to finish him man off. However, Dolidze responded with a knee, forcing Vettori to move backwards. Dolidze followed up with an uppercut and three right kicks to end the round.
Dolidze was now taking more risks, cutting Vettori with a knee. However, Vettori was not going anywhere. He connected with a left hand, forcing Dolidze to respond. The latter connected with a combination when Vettori was on the cage, followed by a spinning elbow. With little to separate the pair, the fifth round was crucial. Dolidze inflicted the first blow with a power shot over the top before Vettori hit back with a right hook. The pair then exchanged until the end, as it was Dolidze who got the decision, setting the narrative for a trilogy. Alternatively, he wants to face Robert Whittaker or Israel Adesanya.
Post-Fight
“I want to say a big thanks to Marvin that he agreed to fight me. 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. First fight, I was going hard just because of my aggression but now I was ready, I was controlling my aggression. That’s a very important key for me. I can go hard in the first round but I can go hard for five rounds and still keep going. I deserve a top 5 fight. There are two realistic fights for me. It’s [Robert] Whittaker or [Israel] Adesanya, let’s go, just give me a date, nothing more,” Dolidze said
Full Results
Middleweight: Roman Dolidze def. Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
172.25-pound catchweight: Chidi Njokuani def. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos via TKO (strikes) at 2:19 of Round 2
Lightweight: Alexander Hernandez def. Kurt Holobaugh via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Bantamweight: Da’Mon Blackshear def. Cody Gibson via submission (kimura) at 4:09 of Round 2
210.5-pound catchweight: Brendson Ribeiro def. Diyar Nurgozhay via submission (kimura) at 1:28 of Round 1
Featherweight: Kevin Vallejos def. Choi Seung-woo via TKO (punches) at 3:09 of Round 1
Prelims
Heavyweight: Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Ryan Spann via KO (punches) at 4:48 of Round 2
Bantamweight: You Su-young def. AJ Cunningham via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27)
Bantamweight: Carlos Vera def. Josias Musasa via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:16 of Round 1
Women’s strawweight: Sam Hughes def. Stephanie Luciano via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–27)
Flyweight: André Lima def. Daniel Barez via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:05 of Round 3
Women’s bantamweight: Priscila Cachoeira def. Josiane Nunes via KO (punch) at 2:46 of Round 1
Women’s flyweight: Carli Judice def. Yuneisy Duben via TKO (head kick and punches) at 1:40 of Round 1
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
