Roman Dolidze (born 15 July 1988) is a Georgian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2016, Dolidze was the former World Warriors Fight Championship (WWFC)

light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

champion, ADCC Asia & Oceania champion, and Grappling FILA world champion. As of 8 October 2024, he is #9 in the UFC middleweight rankings.

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. 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 Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

and eventually grappling. He then also earned a degree in

business administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

. 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.

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. He was scheduled to defend his title against Michał Pasternak at WWFC 13. Dolidze beat Pasternak by a third-round knockout.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Dolidze got signed to the UFC but before he made his debut, he tested positive for

clomiphene Clomifene, also known as clomiphene, is a medication used to treat infertility in women who do not ovulate, including those with polycystic ovary syndrome. Use results in a greater chance of twins. It is taken by mouth once a day, with a course ...

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. On 3 September 2020, Dolidze along with

Ryan Benoit Ryan Michale Benoit (born August 25, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a fu ...

, 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. 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 1 December following a six-month period of bimonthly testing by USADA. A bout between

Khadis Ibragimov Khadis Ibragimov (born May 21, 1995) is a Russian mixed martial artist and sambo practitioner. A professional competitor since 2017, he has also formerly competed for Ultimate Fighting Championship and M-1 Global where he was the Light heavyweig ...

and Roman Dolidze was initially scheduled for the promotion's inaugural event in Kazakhstan planned a month prior. 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. 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. Dolidze faced John Allan at UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori on 5 December 2020. He won the bout via split decision; however 19 out of 19 media members scored it a 30–27 for Dolidze. Dolidze, as a replacement for Dricus du Plessis, faced Trevin Giles in his middleweight debut on 20 March 2021, at UFC on ESPN 21 He lost the close bout via unanimous decision. Dolidze was scheduled to face Alessio Di Chirico on 5 June 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai. However, Di Chirico pulled out of the contest in mid-May due to an injury. Di Chirico was replaced by Laureano Staropoli. In a lackluster fight where Dolidze mostly held Staropoli in the clinch, he won the fight via unanimous decision. Dolidze was scheduled to face Eryk Anders on 13 November 2021, at UFC Fight Night 197. However, Anders was pulled the event for undisclosed reasons, and he was replaced by Kyle Daukaus. In turn, the bout was scrapped due to COVID-19 protocols related to Dolidze’s camp. Dolidze was scheduled to face Brendan Allen, replacing Brad Tavares on 4 December 2021, at UFC on ESPN 31. 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 Chris Curtis (born Christopher Crummey; 26 August 1941 – 28 February 2005) was an English drummer and singer who was best known for being with the 1960s Beat music, beat band The Searchers (band), The Searchers. He originated the concept be ...

. Dolidze was rescheduled to face Kyle Daukaus on 18 June 2022, at UFC on ESPN 37. He won the bout via knockout in round one. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. Dolidze faced Phil Hawes on 29 October 2022, at UFC Fight Night 213. He won the fight via knockout in round one. Dolidze, replacing undisclosed injury Derek Brunson, faced

Jack Hermansson Jack Berndhard Hermansson (born 10 June 1988) is a Swedish and Norwegian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the former middleweight champion ...

on 3 December 2022, at UFC on ESPN 42. He won the bout via ground and pound TKO in the second round. Dolidze faced Marvin Vettori on 18 March 2023, at UFC 286. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Dolidze was scheduled to face Derek Brunson at UFC 295 on 11 November 2023. However, Brunson announced on 14 September that he was parting ways with the organization, and the bout was scrapped. Dolidze was scheduled to face Jared Cannonier on 2 December 2023, at UFC on ESPN 52. However, Cannonier suffered an MCL tear in October during training and the bout was scrapped. Dolidze faced Nassourdine Imavov on 3 February 2024, at

UFC Fight Night 235 ''UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 235'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 93'' and ''UFC Vegas 85'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 3, 2024, at the U ...

in his first UFC main event. He lost the bout by majority decision. Dolidze was scheduled to face

Anthony Hernandez Anthony Hernandez (born October 18, 1993) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2014, he has also competed with Globa ...

on 1 June 2024 at

UFC 302 ''UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 1, 2024, at the Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey, United States. Background The event marked the ...

. However Hernandez was forced out of the bout due to a torn ligament in his hand and the bout was cancelled. It was briefly announced that Dolidze would face Michel Pereira on 8 June 2024, at

UFC on ESPN 57 ''UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Imavov'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 57'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 8, 2024, at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, United State ...

. However, Pereira claimed he never signed any contracts for the fight and the bout fell through. Dolidze, on short notice and as a replacement for

Carlos Ulberg Carlos Sao Murry Ulberg (born 17 November 1990) is a New Zealand mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Light heavyweight (MMA), Light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Ulberg was born ...

, faced Anthony Smith in a Light Heavyweight bout on 29 June 2024 at

UFC 303 ''UFC 303: Pereira vs. Procházka 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 29, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United St ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Replacing an injured

, Dolidze faced Kevin Holland on October 5, 2024 at

UFC 307 ''UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr.'' is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will take place on October 5, 2024, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Background The e ...

. Dolidze won the fight by technical knockout due to a corner stoppage as a result of a rib injury at the end of the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championship ** Performance of the Night (Three times) *World Warriors Fight Championship ** WWFC Light Heavyweight Championship ***One successful title defense

Grappling

* ADCC Asia & Oceania Champion **2016 ADCC Asia trials (99 kg) * Grappling World Champion FILA

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 14–3 , Kevin Holland , TKO (corner stoppage) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 , Salt Lake City, Utah, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Anthony Smith , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–3 , Nassourdine Imavov , Decision (majority) , UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–2 , Marvin Vettori , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 286 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , London, England , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:06 ,

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Phil Hawes , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:09 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Kyle Daukaus , KO (knee and punches) , UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Emmett , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:13 , Austin, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Laureano Staropoli , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–1 , Trevin Giles , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , John Allan , Decision (split) , UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 ,

, TKO (knee and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:15 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Michał Pasternak , KO (punch) , WWFC 13 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 , Kyiv, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Eder de Souza , KO (punch) , WWFC 11 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:36 , Kyiv, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Amirali Zhoroev , TKO (punches) , WWFC 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:34 , Kyiv, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Ilyas Abdulaev , Submission (rear-naked choke) , WWFC 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:21 , Kyiv, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Rémi Delcampe , Submission (heel hook) , WWFC 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:56 , Kyiv, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Alexander Kovbel , Submission (heel hook) , RFP 53: West Fight 23 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:42 , Odesa, Ukraine ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dolidze, Roman 1988 births Living people Male mixed martial artists from Georgia (country) Sambo practitioners from Georgia (country) Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners from Georgia (country) Sportspeople from Batumi Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing sambo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Expatriate sportspeople from Georgia (country) in Ukraine