The nation of Georgia is enjoying a breakout inside the Octagon over the last year and change, with competitors like Giga Chikadze and Merab Dvalishvili stacking victories, climbing the rankings, and leading the charge. Not too far behind those contenders is Roman Dolidze, a 32-year-old middleweight that trains out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.
After having his promotional debut delayed multiple times due to injuries and then the COVID-19 pandemic, Dolidze finally made the walk for the first time last summer, registering a first-round stoppage win over Khadis Ibragimov in July before holding on to earn a split decision victory over John Allan in his sophomore effort in December.
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He made his first appearance of 2021 in March, landing on the wrong side of the scorecards in a close, competitive fight with Trevin Giles, which halted his eight-fight unbeaten streak to begin his professional career. Dolidze returns here looking to make a quick return to the win column and become the middleweight representative for the advancing Georgian collective.
A very good grappler with constantly improving striking skills and burgeoning power, Dolidze profiles as a quintessential late bloomer — someone that arrived in the sport a little later than most of his contemporaries, is learning on the fly, but shows flashes of Top 10 upside and simply needs a little more experience in order to make it happen.
Getting a second fight in before the halfway point of 2021 creates the potential for a three-fight or four-fight year for the intriguing middleweight, who will only continue to improve and progress as he continues to log time inside the Octagon.
