UFC on ESPN 72's Roman Dolidze aims to prove why he deserves 'at minimum top-5 fights'
Gearing up for his third UFC main event, Dolidze (15-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) will take on Anthony Hernandez at UFC on ESPN 72 at the UFC Apex on Aug. 9. As it currently stands, Dolidze sits one spot ahead of Hernandez (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) at No. 8 in the promotion's official middleweight rankings, and he believes it's time for him and his opponent to crack into the elite of the division.
Advertisement
"I think we both deserve better fights, like at minimum top 5 fights," Dolidze told MMA Junkie Radio. "But it is how it is, we never step back. I'm ready for anything. Two months I was waiting, they were telling me about (Robert) Whittaker, but in the end, I'm fighting 'Fluffy.' But for me it doesn't mean nothing, I'm ready to go."
Dolidze is currently on a three-fight winning streak, while Hernandez's current run totals seven. The level of competition has been stiffer on Dolidze's side. With the matchup against Hernandez, the Georgian acknowledges cardio could be the difference maker.
"It's all about style – he loves to wrestle with guys," Dolidze said. "First couple of rounds, he's not so successful, but when everybody else is getting tired, he's still going. He's a very good athlete. He's a very good fighter, but I think on the ground, I have very good jiu-jitsu. I'm ready for anything on the ground. I'm not scared to grapple with him. That's why I don't think I have a lot of problems there."
Should Dolidze pass the "Fluffy" test, perhaps he'll land that fight against former champion Whittaker. As a part of Georgia's big three in the UFC, along with champs Ilia Topuria and Merab Dvalishvili, Dolidze hopes to keep the bar very high as they proudly represent their nation, and as he works toward a title shot of his own.
Advertisement
"This fight, it's my third main event, and everybody knows I deserve better fights," Dolidze said. "But, I have this fight, and I will show everybody what I can do."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC's Roman Dolidze eager to challenge middleweight elite
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
11 minutes ago
- USA Today
UFC on ESPN 71 post-event facts: Neil Magny takes big jump up all-time wins list
The UFC opened a four-event August lineup on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 71 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and in the main event a top flyweight contender bounced back from his first career loss. Tatsuro Taira (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) showed his resiliency when he dominantly dispatched of short notice replacement HyunSung Park (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) by second-round submission, capping off a card where some history was made. For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie's post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 71. Event stats UFC on ESPN 71 became the third event in company history with multiple knockouts stemming from body kicks. UFC 193 and UFC Fight Night 226 also had the feat. The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $150,000. Chris Duncan, Mateusz Rebecki, Esteban Ribovics and Elves Brener earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 71 fight-night bonuses. Debuting fighters went 0-1 on the card. The UFC sold VIP tickets to fans for UFC on ESPN 71, but the promotion did not make public the total number of tickets sold or the gate. Betting favorites went 10-2 on the card. Betting favorites improved to 16-10 in UFC headliners this year. Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 2:11:57. Tatsuro Taira def. HyunSung Park Taira has earned 13 of his 17 career victories by stoppage. Taira's five stoppage victories since 2022 in UFC flyweight competition are most in the division. Park had his 10-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career. Chris Duncan def. Mateusz Rebecki Chris Duncan (14-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has earned three of his five UFC victories by decision. Mateusz Rebecki (20-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career. Karol Rosa def. Nora Cornolle Karol Rosa (19-7 MMA, 8-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over her past nine fights. Rosa has earned all eight of her UFC victories by decision. Nora Cornolle (9-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has suffered all three of her career losses by decision. Neil Magny def. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos Neil Magny's (30-13 MMA, 23-12 UFC) 23 victories in UFC competition are tied with Andrei Arlovski, Donald Cerrone, Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway for second-most in company history behind Jim Miller (27). Magny's 22 victories in UFC welterweight competition are most in divisional history. Magny's nine stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for fourth-most in divisional history behind Matt Brown (15), Vicente Luque (14) and Neil Magny (12). Kevin Vallejos def. Danny Silva Danny Silva (10-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by decision. Rinya Nakamura def. Nathan Fletcher Rinya Nakamura (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has earned seven of his 10 career victories by stoppage. Nathan Fletcher (9-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered two of his three career losses by stoppage. Fletcher has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout. Rodolfo Vieira def. Tresean Gore Rodolfo Vieira (11-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) earned the first decision victory of his career. Tresean Gore (5-4 MMA, 2-4 UFC) has suffered two of his four career losses by decision. Andrey Pulyaev def. Nick Klein Andrey Pulyaev (10-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has earned eight of his 10 career victories by stoppage. Nick Klein (6-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered all three of his career losses by knockout. Austin Bashi vs. John Yannis John Yannis (9-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by submission. Rafael Estevam def. Felipe Bunes Rafael Estevam (14-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision. Felipe Bunes (14-8 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered five of his eight career losses by decision. Piera Rodriguez def. Ketlen Souza Piera Rodriguez (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has earned all four of her UFC victories by decision. UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on X @MJCflipdascript.
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
UFC on ESPN 71 post-event facts: Neil Magny takes big jump up all-time wins list
The UFC opened a four-event August lineup on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 71 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and in the main event a top flyweight contender bounced back from his first career loss. Tatsuro Taira (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) showed his resiliency when he dominantly dispatched of short notice replacement HyunSung Park (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) by second-round submission, capping off a card where some history was made. For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie's post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 71. Event stats UFC on ESPN 71 became the third event in company history with multiple knockouts stemming from body kicks. UFC 193 and UFC Fight Night 226 also had the feat. The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $150,000. Chris Duncan, Mateusz Rebecki, Esteban Ribovics and Elves Brener earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 71 fight-night bonuses. Debuting fighters went 0-1 on the card. The UFC sold VIP tickets to fans for UFC on ESPN 71, but the promotion did not make public the total number of tickets sold or the gate. Betting favorites went 10-2 on the card. Betting favorites improved to 16-10 in UFC headliners this year. Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 2:11:57. Tatsuro Taira def. HyunSung Park Taira has earned 13 of his 17 career victories by stoppage. Taira's five stoppage victories since 2022 in UFC flyweight competition are most in the division. Park had his 10-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career. Chris Duncan def. Mateusz Rebecki Chris Duncan (14-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has earned three of his five UFC victories by decision. Mateusz Rebecki (20-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career. Karol Rosa def. Nora Cornolle Karol Rosa (19-7 MMA, 8-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over her past nine fights. Rosa has earned all eight of her UFC victories by decision. Nora Cornolle (9-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has suffered all three of her career losses by decision. Neil Magny def. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos Neil Magny's (30-13 MMA, 23-12 UFC) 23 victories in UFC competition are tied with Andrei Arlovski, Donald Cerrone, Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway for second-most in company history behind Jim Miller (27). Magny's 22 victories in UFC welterweight competition are most in divisional history. Magny's nine stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for fourth-most in divisional history behind Matt Brown (15), Vicente Luque (14) and Neil Magny (12). Kevin Vallejos def. Danny Silva Danny Silva (10-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by decision. Rinya Nakamura def. Nathan Fletcher Rinya Nakamura (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has earned seven of his 10 career victories by stoppage. Nathan Fletcher (9-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered two of his three career losses by stoppage. Fletcher has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout. Rodolfo Vieira def. Tresean Gore Rodolfo Vieira (11-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) earned the first decision victory of his career. Tresean Gore (5-4 MMA, 2-4 UFC) has suffered two of his four career losses by decision. Andrey Pulyaev def. Nick Klein Andrey Pulyaev (10-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has earned eight of his 10 career victories by stoppage. Nick Klein (6-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered all three of his career losses by knockout. Austin Bashi vs. John Yannis John Yannis (9-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by submission. Rafael Estevam def. Felipe Bunes Rafael Estevam (14-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision. Felipe Bunes (14-8 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered five of his eight career losses by decision. Piera Rodriguez def. Ketlen Souza Piera Rodriguez (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has earned all four of her UFC victories by decision. UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on X @MJCflipdascript. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC on ESPN 71 post-event facts: Neil Magny jumps all-time wins list
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Sleep on Austin Bashi\u00a0at your own risk after UFC on ESPN 71
LAS VEGAS – Austin Bashi met the media Saturday after his first-round submission win over John Yannis at UFC on ESPN 71. Yannis (9-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) stepped in on short notice to take on the highly touted Bashi (14-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and was a big underdog at the UFC Apex. Bashi showed why when he got his first UFC win with a standing rear-naked choke with about 90 seconds left in the opening round. Bashi was supposed to fight Francis Marshall for his sophomore UFC outing until Marshall pulled out not long before the event. The 23-year-old Michigan-based featherweight said all he cared about was making sure he stayed on the card – and didn't care who the opponent was going to be. Bashi was a heavy favorite when he came through and earned a contract on DWCS this past September. He then was expected to make a splash in his official UFC debut when he took on Christian Rodriguez in January. But as a 3-1 favorite, Bashi dropped a decision for the first loss of his MMA career. He said that experience helped set him up for Saturday's win – and what he wants to happen going forward. 'After that last fight, I saw who my true supporters were, and I saw who was sleeping on me – and there were a bunch of people sleeping on me,' Bashi said at his post-fight news conference. 'This was to prove something to myself – not really to the world, but to prove something to myself how hungry I am and how bad I really want it.' Check out Bashi's post-fight news conference in the video above.
