Roman Dolidze
Born (1988-07-15) 15 July 1988 (age 35)
Batumi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
NicknameThe Caucasian
NationalityGeorgian
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
DivisionHeavyweight (2016)
Light Heavyweight (2017–2020)
Middleweight (2021–present)
Reach76 in (193 cm)[1]
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofBatumi, Georgia
TeamAmerican Kickboxing Academy
Xtreme Couture MMA
Years active2016–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total14
Wins12
By knockout7
By submission3
By decision2
Losses2
By decision2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Roman Dolidze (born 15 July 1988) is a Georgian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).[2] A professional competitor since 2016, Dolidze was the former World Warriors Fight Championship (WWFC) light heavyweight champion,[3] ADCC Asia & Oceania champion, and Grappling FILA world champion. As of 16 January 2024, he is #8 in the UFC middleweight rankings.[4]

Background

Dolidze was born on 15 July 1988, in Batumi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union (now Georgia). Dolidze played soccer for eight years, the last three years of which spent as a professional goalkeeper in Turkey.[5] At the age of 20, he moved to Ukraine to study shipbuilding engineering at Odesa Maritime Academy, and started training in sambo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and eventually grappling.[5] He then also earned a degree in business administration.[5] He went on to become the World Grappling Champion and the European Grappling Champion under United World Wrestling rules, as well as becoming the ADCC Asia & Oceania Champion at 99 kg (218 pounds) in 2016. This earned him a spot in the prestigious ADCC Worlds Tournament in 2017, however he was defeated in the first round. Aged 28, he started to train in MMA.[6]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Dolidze made his MMA debut in 2016, where he was fighting out of Odesa, Ukraine. After winning his debut fight against Alexander Kovbel, Dolidze would go on to amass a 4–0 record in the Ukrainian circuit, before being given the chance to fight Eder de Souza for the vacant WWFC Light Heavyweight title. He beat de Souza by a second-round knockout.[7] He was scheduled to defend his title against Michał Pasternak at WWFC 13.[8] Dolidze beat Pasternak by a third-round knockout.[9]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Dolidze got signed to the UFC but before he made his debut, he tested positive for clomiphene and its metabolites M1 and M2, as well as a long-term metabolite of dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (DHCMT), 4-chloro-18-nor-17β-hydroxymethyl,17α-methyl-5α-androst-13-en-3α-ol (M3), as the result of an out-of-competition urine sample collected on 12 March 2019. He was suspended for one year due to this violation and he was eligible to fight on 12 March 2020.[10]

On 3 September 2020, Dolidze along with Ryan Benoit, were granted temporary licenses following special hearings by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after they had recurring issues with the long-term metabolite of Turinabol pulsing in their system in trace amounts, long after ingestion.[11] Both Benoit and Dolidze have already been suspended by United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the UFC's anti-doping partner. Neither were facing a violation in Nevada, but the UFC wanted to get ahead of a potential issue. This was after USADA added a threshold for the presence of the M3 metabolite of DHCMT. If a test result is below 100 picograms per milliliter of the substance, it is no longer considered a violation, but an atypical finding, providing there is no evidence of new ingestion or performance-enhancing effects. Benoit and Dolidze were granted temporary licenses to compete beginning Dec. 1 following a six-month period of bimonthly testing by USADA.

A bout between Khadis Ibragimov and Roman Dolidze was initially scheduled for the promotion's inaugural event in Kazakhstan planned a month prior.[12] However, the fight was postponed after the card was moved to Las Vegas due to travel restrictions for both participants related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pairing was left intact and eventually took place on 19 July 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2.[13] Dolidze won the fight via technical knockout in round one after in process of high kick, Ibragimov tried to go for a takedown, during which Dolidze hit him with a knee, knocking Ibragimov out.[14]

Dolidze faced John Allan at UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori on 5 December 2020.[15] He won the bout via split decision; however 19 out of 19 media members scored it a 30–27 for Dolidze.[16][17]

Dolidze, as a replacement for Dricus du Plessis, faced Trevin Giles in his middleweight debut on 20 March 2021, at UFC on ESPN 21[18] He lost the close bout via unanimous decision.[19]

Dolidze was scheduled to face Alessio Di Chirico on 5 June 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai.[20] However, Di Chirico pulled out of the contest in mid-May due to an injury.[21] Di Chirico was replaced by Laureano Staropoli.[22] In a lackluster fight where Dolidze mostly held Staropoli in the clinch, he won the fight via unanimous decision.[23][24]

Dolidze was scheduled to face Eryk Anders on 13 November 2021, at UFC Fight Night 197.[25] However, Anders was pulled the event for undisclosed reasons,[26] and he was replaced by Kyle Daukaus.[27] In turn, the bout was scrapped due to COVID-19 protocols related to Dolidze’s camp.[28]

Dolidze was scheduled to face Brendan Allen, replacing Brad Tavares on 4 December 2021, at UFC on ESPN 31.[29] However, Dolidze was forced to pull from the bout due to complications in his recovery from COVID-19 and he was replaced by Chris Curtis.[30]

Dolidze was rescheduled to face Kyle Daukaus on 18 June 2022, at UFC on ESPN 37.[31] He won the bout via knockout in round one.[32] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[33]

Dolidze faced Phil Hawes on 29 October 2022, at UFC Fight Night 213.[34] He won the fight via knockout in round one.[35]

Dolidze, replacing undisclosed injury Derek Brunson, faced Jack Hermansson on 3 December 2022, at UFC on ESPN 42.[36] He won the bout via ground and pound TKO in the second round.[37]

Dolidze faced Marvin Vettori on 18 March 2023, at UFC 286.[38] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[39]

Dolidze was scheduled to face Derek Brunson at UFC 295 on 11 November 2023.[40] However, Brunson announced on 14 September that he was parting ways with the organization, and the bout was scrapped.[41]

Dolidze was scheduled to face Jared Cannonier on 2 December 2023, at UFC on ESPN 52.[42] However, Cannonier suffered an MCL tear in October during training and the bout was scrapped.[43]

Dolidze is scheduled to face Nassourdine Imavov on February 3, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 235.[44]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Grappling

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
14 matches 12 wins 2 losses
By knockout 7 0
By submission 3 0
By decision 2 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 12–2 Marvin Vettori Decision (unanimous) UFC 286 18 March 2023 3 5:00 London, England
Win 12–1 Jack Hermansson TKO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland 3 December 2022 2 4:06 Orlando, Florida, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 11–1 Phil Hawes KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen 29 October 2022 1 4:09 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 10–1 Kyle Daukaus KO (knee and punches) UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Emmett 18 June 2022 1 1:13 Austin, Texas, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 9–1 Laureano Staropoli Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai 5 June 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 8–1 Trevin Giles Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland 20 March 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Middleweight debut.
Win 8–0 John Allan Decision (split) UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori 5 December 2020 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 7–0 Khadis Ibragimov TKO (knee and punches) UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 19 July 2020 1 4:15 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 6–0 Michał Pasternak KO (punch) WWFC 13 18 December 2018 3 3:00 Kyiv, Ukraine Defended the WWFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 5–0 Eder de Souza KO (punch) WWFC 11 16 June 2018 2 3:36 Kyiv, Ukraine Won the vacant WWFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 4–0 Amirali Zhoroev TKO (punches) WWFC 9 14 December 2017 1 3:34 Kyiv, Ukraine
Win 3–0 Ilyas Abdulaev Submission (rear-naked choke) WWFC 7 14 June 2017 1 1:21 Kyiv, Ukraine
Win 2–0 Rémi Delcampe Submission (heel hook) WWFC 6 29 March 2017 1 0:56 Kyiv, Ukraine Light Heavyweight debut.
Win 1–0 Alexander Kovbel Submission (heel hook) RFP 53: West Fight 23 9 December 2016 1 0:42 Odesa, Ukraine Heavyweight debut.

[46]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  2. ^ "UFC". ufc.com. UFC. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  3. ^ "mixedmartialarts". mixedmartialarts.com. mixedmartialarts. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  4. ^ "UFC Rankings | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b c The Jenna Ben Show (12 February 2021). UFC’s Roman Dolidze: Undefeated Georgian 🇬🇪 with big plans to dominate the Light Heavyweight ranks – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "One to 'Watch' at UFC Kazakhstan: Roman Dolidze". Read MMA. 11 April 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  7. ^ Rondina, Steven. "MMA Fighter Left Frozen After One-Punch Knockout". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Porażka Michała Pasternaka na gali MMA w Kijowie". pinczow.com. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Były mistrz PLMMA Michał Pasternak vs Roman Dolidze o pas na ukraińskim WWFC 13". mmanews.pl. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  10. ^ "USADA Statement on Roman Dolidze | UFC". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  11. ^ Martin, Damon. "Ryan Benoit, Roman Dolidze approved for temporary licenses in Nevada after ordeal with oral turinabol testing". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  12. ^ Staff (3 March 2020). "Khadis Ibragimov meets Roman Dolidze during UFC Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 3 March 2020. (in Dutch)
  13. ^ Nolan King (11 June 2020). "UFC targeting Roman Dolidze vs. Khadis Ibragimov for July 18 event". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  14. ^ Bitter, Shawn (18 July 2020). "UFC Fight Island 2 Results: Roman Dolidze Sleeps Khadis Ibragimov". Cageside Press. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  15. ^ Raphael Marinho (19 August 2020). "John Allan enfrenta Roman Dolidze no UFC 255, dia 21 de novembro". Globo.com (in Brazilian Portuguese).
  16. ^ "Roman Dolidze def. John Allan :: UFC on ESPN 19 :: MMA Decisions". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  17. ^ McClory, Mike (5 December 2020). "UFC Vegas 16 Results: Roman Dolidze Better Than Scorecards Show Against John Allan". Cageside Press. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  18. ^ Alexander K. Lee and Mike Heck (10 March 2021). "Dricus Du Plessis out of UFC Vegas 22, Roman Dolidze steps in to fight Trevin Giles". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  19. ^ Behunin, Alex (20 March 2021). "UFC Vegas 22 Results: Trevin Giles Takes Roman Dolidze's 0, Wins Unanimous Decision". Cageside Press. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  20. ^ DNA, MMA (29 March 2021). "Alessio Di Chirico treft Roman Dolidze tijdens UFC evenement op 5 juni". MMA DNA. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  21. ^ Alexander K. Lee and Mike Heck (20 May 2021). "Alessio Di Chirico vs. Roman Dolidze off of June 5 UFC event". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  22. ^ Steve Duncan (22 May 2021). "Di Chirico injured, Laureano Staropoli faces Roman Dolidze at UFC Vegas 28". mma.uno. Retrieved 23 May 2021. (in Spanish)
  23. ^ Anderson, Jay (5 June 2021). "UFC Vegas 28 Results: Roman Dolidze Out-Grapples Laureano Staropoli". Cageside Press. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  24. ^ Martin, Damon (5 June 2021). "UFC Vegas 28 results: Roman Dolidze clinches his way to unanimous decision win against Laureano Staropoli". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  25. ^ Heck, Mike (3 September 2021). "Eryk Anders vs. Roman Dolidze booked for UFC event on Nov. 13". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  26. ^ "With Eryk Anders out, Roman Dolidze vs. Kyle Daukaus targeted for UFC Fight Night 197". MMA Junkie. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  27. ^ Al-Shatti, Shaun (29 October 2021). "Kyle Daukaus vs. Roman Dolidze set for UFC's Nov. 13 event following Kevin Holland withdrawal". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  28. ^ Damon Martin (10 November 2021). "Kyle Daukaus vs. Roman Dolidze scrapped from UFC Vegas 42 card". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  29. ^ Alexander K. Lee (18 November 2021). "Roman Dolidze steps in for Brad Tavares to fight Brendan Allen at UFC Vegas 44". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  30. ^ ATSteveDuncan (23 November 2021). "Dolidze fuera, Chris Curtis enfrenta a Brendan Allen en UFC Vegas 44". MMA.uno , #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español. (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  31. ^ Anderson, Jay (5 April 2022). "UFC: Kyle Daukaus vs. Roman Dolidze Back on for June 18". Cageside Press. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  32. ^ Anderson, Jay (18 June 2022). "UFC Austin: Roman Dolidze Makes Quick Work of Kyle Daukaus, Calls for Bonus". Cageside Press. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  33. ^ a b MMA Fighting Newswire (18 June 2022). "UFC Austin post-fight bonuses: All finishers earn $50k payouts". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  34. ^ "Roman Dolidze vs. Phil Hawes agregado a UFC Fight Night del 29 de octubre - MMA.uno , #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español". mma.uno (in Spanish). 10 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  35. ^ Dewar, Val (29 October 2022). "UFC Vegas 63: Roman Dolidze Shreds Phil Hawes' Knee, Knocks Him Out". Cageside Press. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  36. ^ Staff (22 November 2022). "Derek Brunson injured, Roman Dolidze steps in to face Jack Hermansson on Dec. 3". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  37. ^ Anderson, Jay (3 December 2022). "UFC Orlando: Creativity On Display as Roman Dolidze Finishes Jack Hermansson". Cageside Press. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  38. ^ Nolan King (15 December 2022). "Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze headed to UFC 286 in London". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  39. ^ Dylan Rush (18 March 2023). "UFC 286: Marvin Vettori captures decision against hard-hitting Roman Dolidze". Cageside Press. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  40. ^ Jay Anderson (24 July 2023). "Derek Brunson vs. Roman Dolidze Lined Up for UFC 295".
  41. ^ Shaun Al-Shatti (14 September 2023). "Derek Brunson and UFC part ways, fight with Roman Dolidze scrapped". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  42. ^ Heck, Mike (22 September 2023). "Jared Cannonier vs. Roman Dolidze set for Dec. 2 UFC event". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  43. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (23 October 2023). "Jared Cannonier explains injury that prevented him from fighting Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  44. ^ Desk, ITN News (19 November 2023). "Dolidze vs Imavov Main Event Set for UFC on February 3". www.itnwwe.com. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  45. ^ a b c Bitter, Shawn (23 January 2019). "Welcome to the UFC: Roman Dolidze". Cageside Press. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  46. ^ Sherdog.com. "Roman Dolidze". Sherdog. Retrieved 7 August 2020.

External links

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