Dolidze avenges loss, beats Vettori in UFC main event

Middleweight contender Roman Dolidze got revenge against Marvin Vettori in their rematch.

Dolidze defeated Vettori via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) in the UFC Fight Night main event Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It was Vettori's first Octagon appearance in 21 months.

With the victory, Dolidze avenged his unanimous decision loss to Vettori at UFC 286 in March 2023.

"It was a big and important test for me," Dolidze said in his postfight interview. "Five rounds. I'm (competing) at a high level. I'm in here with killers, monsters. I need to be ready for anything."

Dolidze stayed busier than Vettori in what was purely a stand-up fight. Dolidze outlanded his opponent 141-111 in significant strikes and mixed up his arsenal well, connecting with heavy punches and kicks.

The 36-year-old Georgian overcame a big moment from Vettori in the third round - Vettori rocked Dolidze with a left hand early in the round. He followed up with a few more big punches, but Dolidze survived. That was the only round Vettori took on the judges' scorecards.

Dolidze stung Vettori with a hard shot in the fourth round and caught him with a knee in the fifth as he sealed the biggest victory of his career.

Dolidze is now riding a three-fight winning streak. The No. 12-ranked middleweight will likely move into the top 10 after beating Vettori, who was No. 8 coming in.

Dolidze set his sights on a pair of former middleweight champions for his next matchup.

"I deserve a top-five fight. 100%," he said. "There are two realistic fights for me: it's (Robert) Whittaker or (Israel) Adesanya. Let's go. Just give me a date. That's all I need."

Vettori returned to the Octagon for the first time since June 2023 and has now lost two straight. The 31-year-old Italian is a former title challenger at 185 pounds.