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Main Event Spotlight | UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov
Take A Closer Look At The Middleweight Main Event Between Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov in Las Vegas
On February 3, Top 15 middleweights Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov square off in a pivotal main event matchup at 185 pounds.
Prior to his loss against Marvin Vettori at UFC 286, the No. 8 ranked Dolidze bulldozed through four straight opponents, earning three Performance of the Night bonuses in that stretch.
After going three-for-three inside the Octagon, it was safe to say 2022 was the year of Roman Dolidze. Not only did he win three fights in six months, Dolidze finished all of his opponents by knockout in the first or second round.
In June of 2022, Dolidze started his knockout streak with a devastating knee from the clinch against Kyle Daukaus. Two months later, Dolidze landed a vicious combination to stop Phil Hawes late in round one. To close his 2022 campaign, Dolidze locked in a calf slicer against Jack Hermansson, then ground and pounded his way to victory.
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The Georgian finished four opponents since his UFC debut in 2020, which is tied for the most in the middleweight division in that span. All of those finishes can be attributed to his heavy hands; Dolidze’s 0.76 knockdowns per 15 minutes is the ninth highest rate of all active middleweights.
Roman Dolidze Knocks Out Phil Hawes In RD 1 | UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs Allen
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Roman Dolidze Knocks Out Phil Hawes In RD 1 | UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs Allen
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His power also helped him record the ninth largest comeback finish in middleweight history against Hermansson. Even though he was In complete control in the final moments of the fight, Dolidze still finished the fight 22 strikes behind Hermansson.
Dolidze wanted to stay active in 2023, especially after his loss to Vettori, but his opponents weren’t doing him any favors. Shortly after getting a fight scheduled against Derek Brunson, the former UFC middleweight parted ways with the promotion. Dolidze tried to squeeze in a fight by year’s end against Jared Cannonier, but the former title challenger suffered an MCL tear. Luckily for Dolidze, he finds himself in the main event slot against Imavov on the UFC’s third card of 2024.
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Imavov has had a very similar trajectory to his main event clash with Dolidze. Imavov collected three straight wins, including second-round knockouts against Ian Heinisch and Edmen Shahbazyan, and a unanimous decision win over Joaquin Buckley, before his 2023 campaign veered off course.
Last January, Imavov fought former middleweight champion Sean Strickland, who recently lost his title to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297, in a main event waged at light heavyweight. Strickland got the job done decisively. Five months later, an accidental clash of heads against Chris Curtis resulted in a no contest.
But don’t let those mixed results fool you. Prior to his fight against Strickland, Imavov was one of the division’s rising stars, and for good reason. Imavov has the third largest strike differential among active middleweights at +1.9 strikes per minute. His efficiency is just as impressive. Imavov connects on 56.6 percent of his significant strike attempts, which is the sixth highest accuracy among active middleweights.
Imavov doesn’t just throw himself into the fire; he’s as defensively sound as they come. He’s evaded 62.2 percent of his opponents’ significant strike attempts, which is the second highest defense among active 185ers. He also absorbs just 2.52 significant strikes per minute, which is currently the seventh best rate in the middleweight division.
Statistically, these two fighters are extremely talented at striking but for different reasons. Dolidze will give one to take one, but has the power to back that up. Imavov hasn’t recorded a knockdown in his UFC career, however, his strikes landed per minute is well above the UFC average.
In terms of grappling, neither fighter consistently takes their opponents down, so there’s a good chance this fight stays entirely on the feet. If it does go to the ground, however, neither fighter will be afraid to go for submissions. Both Dolidze and Imavov average 1.72 submission attempts per 15 minutes, which is over twice the UFC average of 0.56.
Rise of Nassourdine Imavov
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Rise of Nassourdine Imavov
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What makes this fight so exciting, outside of its unpredictability, is the pressure on both fighters after a series of unfortunate events last year. Dolidze and Imavov find themselves a few wins away from challenging for the middleweight title, so a win on February 3 is crucial to help get one step closer to their ultimate goal.
UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov also features a lightweight bout between fan favorites Renato Moicano and Drew Dober, and an electric women’s flyweight bout between Viviane Araujo and rising star Natalia Silva. England’s Molly McCann also returns to the Octagon for a strawweight clash against Diana Belbita.
UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 3, 2024. See the final Main Card & Prelim Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
