UFC: Dolidze outstrikes Vettori for unanimous decision win

Roman Dolidze gained his revenge on Marvin Vettori at UFC Vegas 105 on Saturday night in Las Vegas, winning by unanimous decision over the No.8 middleweight contender.

Dolidze entered the main event fight as a $2.35 underdog across UFC bookmakers after losing the pair’s first clash in March 2023 on the judges’ cards.

With an extra two rounds afforded this time, Dolidze was able to extract a 49-46 score from all three judges courtesy of a stronger output and better connections in what was an evenly balanced matchup.

Given their similar styles and aversion to grappling, the fight seemed as though it would be a replica of their first encounter.

However, Dolidze was able to up his aggression over the later rounds and land several combinations, which swayed the result in his favour.

“I want to say a big thanks to Marvin that he agreed to fight me,” Dolidze said after the fight.

“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 five 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.”

Earlier in the evening, Chidi Njokuani also scored an upset victory in the co-main event.

The American was priced at $2.70 by BetOnline to beat Elizeu Zaleski, but defied UFC betting odds to win by knockout in the second round.

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