In terms of impact, I would argue that Dolidze did more in the second half of 2022 than Kevin Holland did in the entirety of his 2020 run, but with about half the fanfare.
Entering the year off a tepid unanimous decision win over Laureano Staropoli one year earlier, Doldize registered his first of three wins in June by knocking out Kyle Daukaus with a punishing knee to the face along the fence just 73 seconds after the bout began. Four months later, he picked up a second consecutive first-round finish and Performance of the Night bonus by knocking out Phil Hawes, getting there only after nearly wrenching his leg from his body moments earlier.
UFC 286 Fight By Fight Preview
And then five weeks after that, the Georgian jumped at the opportunity to replace Derek Brunson opposite Jack Hermansson and pounded out a second-round stoppage win over “The Joker,” pinning him belly-down on the canvas with a calf slicer before unleashing an unanswered series of bombs that brought the fight to a halt.
Three fights, three wins, three finishes, and three bonuses, leaving Dolidze on a four-fight winning streak and stationed inside the Top 10 in the middleweight division. This weekend in London, he looks to climb into the Top 5 by continuing his run of success with a victory over Marvin Vettori.
WATCH: Edwards vs Usman On UFC 286 Countdown
The 29-year-old Italian enters in a bit of a weird spot, having only lost to Israel Adesanya (twice) and Robert Whittaker in the last five years, but entering having registered just two victories and four appearances since the end of 2020. He’s a durable, grimy veteran despite still being south of 30, and should provide a stern test for Dolidze on Saturday.
As great as the surging 34-year-old has looked of late, this weekend’s pairing with Vettori is the real measuring stick — this is the one he has to win in order to elevate himself to the next level in the 185-pound ranks, and if he does that, he could find himself in a title eliminator in the second half of the year.
