Underdog Dolidze exacts revenge on Vettori at UFC Vegas 104

Roman Dolidze avenged his previous loss to Marvin Vettori with a dominant performance at UFC Vegas 105 on Saturday night in Las Vegas, securing a unanimous decision victory over the No. 8-ranked middleweight contender.

Dolidze entered the fight as a +135 underdog across UFC betting sites after dropping a close decision to Vettori in their first encounter in March 2023.

However, with the benefit of a five-round main event, the Georgian fighter capitalized on the extra time to impose his will, earning 49-46 scores from all three judges.

Despite both fighters favoring a stand-up battle and avoiding grappling exchanges, this rematch played out differently from their initial meeting.

Dolidze increased his offensive output in the later rounds, landing sharp combinations that ultimately tilted the result in his favor.

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

“The 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 night, Chidi Njokuani pulled off an upset in the co-main event, stopping Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in the second round.

Njokuani entered the bout as a +170 underdog with the top sportsbooks but showcased his striking power with a highlight-reel knockout.

The victory puts the 36-year-old back on track in the welterweight division and could set him up for a ranked opponent in his next fight.

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