SUMMARY
- Roman Dolidze will be fighting against Nassourdine Imamov at UFC Vegas 85.
- Dolidze won his last fight against Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision.
UFC Vegas 85 is just around the corner, and it couldn’t come any sooner for UFC fans. The UFC #8-ranked middleweight, Roman Dolidze, will go up against the UFC #11-ranked middleweight, Nassourdine Imamov, in the main event of the night. The event will take place on February 3, 2024, at the UFC APEX performance center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The main card will start at 4 p.m. local time, with the middleweight bout between Dolidze and Imavov being the main event. Dolidze has had a mixed start to his UFC career, with six UFC wins under his belt to go with two defeats. The Georgian fighter is coming off a unanimous decision defeat against Marvin Vettori. He will be looking to turn the tide around and get back to winning ways on Saturday.
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The French fighter Nassourdine Imavov will be eyeing his way into the top ten middleweight rankings with a win over Dolidze. Imamov is coming off an unfortunate head clash against Chris Curtis, ruling out the fight as a no-contest. It was a fight that Imamov was dominating, though, and he will be hoping to pick it up from where he left off to further improve his 4-2-0 (1NC) UFC record.
UFC Vegas 85: Roman Dolidze vs Nassourdine Imavov stats
Stats | Roman Dolidze | Nassourdine Imavov |
Wins | 12 | 12 |
Losses | 2 | 4 |
Height | 6 ft 2 in | 6 ft 3 in |
Division | Middleweight | Middleweight |
Reach | 76 in | 75 in |
Age | 35 | 28 |
Roman Dolidze vs Nassourdine Imavov: Fight breakdown and prediction
Roman Dolidze is one of those grapplers who can put off anyone inside the octagon. However, over the last few years, his fighting style has changed, and now he relies more on his striking capabilities. It was his lack of grappling that many think cost him his last fight. His jiu-jitsu was on full display, though, against Jack Hermasson and Phil Hawes, his two most recent victories.
Nassourdine Imavov, on the other hand, is someone who likes to take on the opponent by moving forward. His counterstriking is impressive, which, coupled with his tremendous stature, makes him a busy striker who is to be reckoned as a middleweight. Imavov also has impressive wrestling to accompany his takedown defense, which will make him a difficult opponent for Dolidze to deal with.
The way for Roman Dolidze to win this fight is by moving forward and mixing his striking with aggressive takedowns. But with the way Dolidze has reformed his fight game, this seems like an unlikely plan of attack from his point of view.
Also, Imavov has the defense necessary to prevent Roman from securing easy takedowns. And surely, Imavov will not be naive enough to shoot takedowns at Roman, putting himself at risk. While Dolidze has 50% takedown accuracy to Imavov’s 32%, Imavov has 73% takedown defense to show for it compared to Dolidze’s 33%. This points towards the match being a striking MMA classic.
This is where Imavov should be able to impose himself over Dolidze. The French fighter lands 4.55 significant strikes per minute compared to the Georgian’s 3.02. While Roman has commendable power in his punches, Nassourdine is just more accurate, sharp, and quicker with his punches. He also has a much stronger counter-attacking game combined with a better jab in his arsenal now than he did before.