UFC Fight Night Prediction – Roman Dolidze vs. Nasordin Imavov: Fight Card, Start Time, Odds, Live Stream

Roman Dolidze and Nasourdin Imavov have set their sights on the middleweight elite. Skilled fighters remain in the bottom half of the UFC’s official rankings for 185 pounds. Dolidze and Imavov will headline UFC Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday with hopes of a big fight.

Dolidze (12-2) is a late blooming plant. After playing professional football and competing in grappling tournaments, the Georgian athlete began training in mixed martial arts at the age of 28. Two years later with only six MMA fights to his name he was signed to the UFC. Dolidze’s rapid progress has been remarkable and he won’t let his recent loss to former middleweight title challenger Marvin Vettori deter him.

“You’re talking to a guy who never thought he’d be a fighter,” Dolidze told CBS Sports. “I had different thoughts in my mind. A different lifestyle. There were different things going on in my life. Nobody expected this. If you talk even two years ago, nobody would have thought that I would “Will be ranked…power of will. It’s been that way all my life.”

Watch the full interview with Roman Dolidze below.

Imavov (12-4, 1 NC) is certainly on a troubled run. Without a win in the past 17 months, Imavov was replaced by short-notice replacement Shawn Strickland and played a no contest against Chris Curtis. Recent developments have helped to allay the French fighter’s disappointment. Imavov looked sharp from the start against Curtis and despite the inconclusive finish he was rewarded with a top 10 opponent in Dolidze. Considering Strickland has become the UFC middleweight champion, his recent defeat has also become a thing of the past.

“I was very happy that he took the belt because my plan from the beginning was to fight him again,” Imavov told CBS Sports through a translator. “Even though he doesn’t have the belt anymore, I still want to fight him. He’s still a good opponent and I want to show him – because he talks a lot of trash – what I can do against him.”

Watch the full interview with Nasourdin Imavov below.

Elsewhere on the card, an interesting lightweight fight is set for the co-main event. Renato Moicano is set to take on Drew Dober as both men look to climb the ladder at 155 pounds. Moicano is 3-1 in his last four fights and each win has come by submission. Dober, meanwhile, is 4-1 since 2022 and is coming off a TKO of Ricky Glenn in October. Also, welterweight sluggers Randy Brown and Muslim Salikhov are slated for defeats on the main card.

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Below are the rest of Saturday’s fight cards with the latest odds before making predictions and choosing the main event.

UFC Fight Night Card, Odds

UFC Fight Night viewing information

date: 3 February Start time: 7 PM ET (Main Card)
Place: UFC Apex – Las Vegas
TV Channel: espn+

Prediction

Roman Dolidze vs. Nasourdin Imavov: Saturday’s fight is difficult to predict. Each man excels where his opponent struggles most. Dolidze is a skilled wrestler with raw, albeit powerful, strikes. Imavov is a technical boxer who needs to work on his aggressive wrestling. Both men are also very durable. There has been one stoppage loss in 31 combined bouts between them – a submission in Imavov’s 2016 debut. Dolidze’s power has served him well, but he would be wise to deal with an opponent nicknamed “The Sniper.” Dolidze could box dirty in the clinch and try to catch Imavov with hard shots entering and exiting range. Even if his eviction is unsuccessful, the entries should lead to other opportunities. Imavov will have the most success by isolating Dolidze at range and employing his 72% takedown defense when needed. Movement is the key to Imavov. If Dolidze doesn’t get a finish inside three rounds, I doubt Imavov will make it a three-round match on the scorecards. Imavov via unanimous decision

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