Athletes
ROMAN DOLIDZE: TRYING TO BE THE BEST
Middleweight Approaches 2024 Debut With Sights Set On The Top Of The Division
Roman Dolidze most assuredly wanted to compete more than once last year.
After entering 2023 on a four-fight winning streak that included three consecutive Performance of the Night bonuses, the middleweight from Georgia began his year with a pay-per-view showdown against Marvin Vettori in London. He landed on the wrong side of the scorecards, but was back in the gym soon after, anticipating another fight.
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“Maybe I can do more? I want it. I’m ready for it!” he says when asked about ideally getting more than one fight in 2024 given that his campaign kicks off this weekend in Las Vegas with a main event showdown against Nassourdine Imavov. “I came here for a fight in August — I won’t say who this fight was supposed to be — and the guy declined.
“After that, another in September. After that, Derek (Brunson) declined fighting in September or October; he asked October or November. I was supposed to fight in December, but another something happened.”
Dolidze shakes his head, clearly disappointed by the myriad cancellations and declined opportunities he encountered last year.
Officially, a November fight with Brunson failed to materialize when the veteran parted ways with the company, and then a December date with Jared Cannonier was scuttled when the top contender suffered a knee injury. According to Dolidze, there were a couple more unofficial passes, as well, and it’s not the first time, and it’s clearly a point of frustration.
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“Listen, I didn’t speak about this and I don’t want to say nothing bad, but it’s not only them that have injuries and problems in their preparation,” offers Dolidze, who sports a 12-2 record heading into this weekend’s headlining clash with Imavov. “I always have a lot of injuries and something happening with me, but I never step back; I’m always ready.
“I never step back; it’s not in my mind. Maybe they’re trying to find the easiest way, the smartest way, but everybody has problems. I’m not here to mess around.”
That last part is evident by the speed with which the 35-year-old has risen through the ranks since arriving in the UFC and the way he approaches everything he does in life.
Dolidze started training in different grappling arts as a hobby during his university days in Ukraine, where he was studying shipbuilding engineering. That hobby turned into a passion, and produced a tremendous amount of success, including an ADCC Asia & Oceania Championship win in 2016.
He started training MMA at age 28, took his first pro fight that same year, and six fights later, he was signed by the UFC, where he has since amassed a 6-2 record across two divisions that includes stoppage wins over Kyle Daukaus, Phil Hawes, and Jack Hermansson.
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“Every year, I am thinking about being the best, and in this sport, being the best means to have the belt,” says Dolidze, who brings the same approach to the businesses he operates at home in Georgia. “If I have the belt on my shoulder, I’m the best in the world, and that’s what I’m thinking about.
“There is no ‘just competition’ — it’s just to be the best, in everything I do.”
While he’s not there yet, the eighth-ranked middleweight has clearly made strides over the course of his UFC tenure, and was recently reminded of how far he’s come.
“A few days ago, I saw my pad work from before my second professional fight — it was crazy,” he says with a smile and a laugh. “I won that fight — I knocked the guy down, but I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t trust that I had the power in my hands to knock somebody down, so I started doing submissions.
“I’m getting better. I was 30 years old when I started in the UFC. I didn’t know nothing. I was doing first steps in everything. I have natural power that I’m using, but there are a lot of things I need to learn. I need to learn striking technique, how to use my grappling more in MMA, and I’m changing day-by-day.
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“The main thing is that I’m always hungry for growing, I always think that I need to work a lot,” he adds. “Working, training, and going forward.”
The majority of that working and training takes place at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, where Dolidze is surrounded by a cast of experienced middleweights and other big bodies, as well as a collection of outstanding coaches.
Although his soul is and will always be in Georgia, he admits that in order to reach his goal of being the best, “business trips” to the Nevada desert in order to prepare for his forays into the Octagon are an absolute must.
But that still doesn’t mean he’s going to ever buy his own place in Las Vegas.
“That’s my biggest problem in Georgia, why I can’t prepare there: there are no good sparring partners,” he says when asked about the team at Xtreme Couture, which includes the last two men to face Imavov — former champ Sean Strickland and fellow ranked veteran Chris Curtis. “There are some good coaches, but Eric is very high level.
“And I come to Vegas because back home, I can’t focus on fights. Here, I have everything that I need to fully focus on fights and preparation. I also have these guys that are very good sparring partners, as you mentioned, and that is the main thing.
“If you’re training with the best guys, you will be the best.”
Coming off a loss and following an extended stay on the sidelines, coupled with the disappointment of a couple quality matchups falling through in the back half of 2023, you wouldn’t blame Dolidze for being amped up and eager to get the sour taste of defeat out of his mouth and make up for lost time this weekend, but that isn’t the case.
Best Finishes | UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov
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Best Finishes | UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov
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As he is with everything, the proud Georgian is focused, grateful, and even tempered, refusing to let the ebbs and flows of a career forged in the Octagon impact the way he approaches life.
“You ask me this like a competitor, but I will answer as a man: it doesn’t affect me at all,” he says in regard to the last 11 months and being on the eve of returning. “Fighting doesn’t change anything for me inside. Fighting is a very important part and part of me, and the way how I’m making money, feeding my family. It’s very important, but it doesn’t change me (as a man).”
There is an important distinction to make here, and that is that when Dolidze says “as a man” or speaks about acting manly, he’s doing so in terms of how you conduct yourself, handle your business, and get on with life, regardless of the ups and downs.
It’s the gendered version of my mother’s “never get too high with the highs or too low with the lows,” which remains sounds advice to this day.
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“There is no pressure, at all; that’s first. There always can be hard times, always can be good times, and it’s also very important, sometimes more important, to stay a real man when you’re on the top, because sometimes when they are on the top, they are losing their minds.
“It doesn’t change me at all,” he adds. “I always try to be the best at everything I’m doing in my life. For now, it’s fighting, and, of course, I’m trying to be the best at fighting.”
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!
