The APEX hosted a middleweight main event on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 85 featuring top-10 ranked contender Roman Dolidze and a fighter determined to snatch his spot in the standings, Nassourdine Imavov.
Dolidze walked into the headliner coming off a loss against one-time title challenger Marvin Vettori at UFC 286 last March. Looking to hand the Georgian a second straight defeat was Imavov, the No. 11 ranked middleweight. Like his opponent, Imavov entered the bout determined to bounce back after coming up short against former middleweight titleholder Sean Strickland more than a year ago.
Imavov did return to the Octagon in June against Chris Curtis, but the contest was called off following an accidental clash of heads in the second round.
Round 1
Things got started with the two middleweights trading leg kicks. Imavov is the first to land with a solid right hand. A minute into the round, Dolize changed levels and quickly got to the body lock, dragging Imavov back to the cage wall. Imavov lands a sneaky elbow from the inside, but it does nothing to relieve the pressure that Dolidze is putting on him.
Imavov finally breaks the hold and circles away from Dolidze, returning to the center of the cage. Imavov resumes attacking the lead leg of his opponent. Dolidze responds with a combination followed by a body kick. Imavov comes back with another right hand before going back to the lead front kick. Imavov lands a big looping left that has Dolidze compromised. Imavov moves in and unloads on Dolidze as the Georgian falls to the canvas. Imavov is landing a lot of shots, but nothing significant enough for the referee to step in.
Imavov switches to an arm bar, but the clock runs out before he can force Dolidze to tap out.
Round 2
Imavov kickstarted round two with a jumping left knee that narrowly missed the mark. The opening minute is fair slow as both fighters are likely still recovering from the events of the opening round. Dolidze once again clinches up and pushes Imavov to the fence, but offers little in the way of offense or damage.
Imavov breaks away near the three-minute mark and returns to the center, but it’s not long before Dolidze clinches and once again pushes him to the cage wall. Due to the lack of action, referee Herb Dean steps in and separates them. That allows Imavov to land a solid 1-2 combination just before the horn sounds.
Round 3
Imavov looks to get his jab going in the third round, but again, Dolidze grabs a hold of him and pushes him to the fence. Imavov reverses position, breaks away, and delivers a glancing high kick before re-centering himself. Imavov lands a stiff jab followed by a nasty right hand. They briefly clinch up before separating, allowing Imavov to land another right hand that his Dolidze on the retreat.
At this point, all Dolidze can go is clinch when Imavov closes the distance and starts to land. The referee is once again telling the fighters to work as Dolidze is content to hold. Imavov finally breaks away and immediately goes to the body with a kick that hits the mark. Dolidze clinches again. With less than 30 seconds to go, Herb Dean separates them from the cage wall. Imavov goes high with a head kick. Dolidze returns fire with a spinning back-kick just before the horn.
Round 4
Dolidze comes out swinging wild and immediately eats a solid left from Imavov. That prompts Dolidze to clinch. Imavov switches position and gets Dolidze’s back. Dolidze puts his hand on the canvas to be considered a down opponent. That doesn’t stop Dolidze from unleashing a head kick that catches Dolidze square in the face.
As the referee pauses the action, Imavov begins jawing with Dolidze’s corner, prompting Herb Dean to threaten a disqualification. After a few moments, Dolidze is willing to restart the fight. Dean deducts a point from Imavov and allows the fight to continue. Coming back out, Dolidze seems to have a fire lit under him as he secures his first takedown of the fight. Imavov works his way back up via an assist from the cage wall.
Separating, both fighters begin slinging leather and throwing caution to the win as the round expires.
Round 5
They come out throwing hands and kicks in the final round, but it’s clear that both fighters are feeling the fatigue from the last 20 minutes. Dolidze desperately flew in for a takedown, attempting to grab a kimura grip. As Imavov scrambled, Dolidze was able to snatch a leg, briefly teasing an ankle lock, but Imavov was able to fight off the attempt. As both fighters returned to their feet, Dolidze clinched against the fence prompting Herb Dean to separate them.
Imavov throws a big right hand. Dolidze clinches once again and continues shooting for takedowns, but he simply doesn’t have the energy to finish one. Imavov snatches Dolidze’s neck and briefly locks in an anaconda choke before letting it go and riding out the round throwing some bombs that miss the mark.
Official Result: Nassourdine Imavov def. Roman Dolidze via majority decision (49-44, 47-47, 48-46)
Check Out Highlights From Roman Dolidze vs. Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Vegas 85:
Nassourdine Imavov drops and almost finishes Roman Dolidze in the first roundpic.twitter.com/s8bhLVqxQD
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) February 4, 2024
IMAVOV HURTS DOLIDZE BAD IN THE FIRST ROUND!#UFCVegas85
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 4, 2024
Nassourdine Imavov illegal kicks Roman Dolidze pic.twitter.com/KOasRUezbB
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) February 4, 2024
NASSOURDONE IMAVOV AND CHRIS CURTIS CHIRPING EACH OTHER WHILE DOLIDZE IS RECOVERING 😭😭#UFCVegas85 pic.twitter.com/N1B2Ulmbuh
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 4, 2024
As Dolidze is rolling for the Kneebar, mid-roll Imavov snatches a sneaky D’arce Choke #UFCVegas85 pic.twitter.com/0EgUkCHtKs
— Underrated MMA Performances (@MMAUnderrated) February 4, 2024
