If UFC's Roman Dolidze can't fight Adesanya or Whittaker, there's a name\u00a0below he'd take
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDWESzmdmcs
On a three-fight winning streak, Roman Dolidze has some pretty lofty ideas about what should be next on his resume.
But Dolidze also knows getting whom he most would like standing across from him could come down to timing. In the case of former middleweight champions Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker, whom he's called out, that be the situation.
Dolidze (15-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) told MMA Junkie Radio he would prefer to fight someone ahead of him in the rankings – naturally – and Adesanya or Whittaker wins on top of what he's already got could warrant a title shot.
He'd almost rather just take what the UFC gives him instead of getting his hopes up.
"I'm not saying a (specific) name because there are many guys who are on top of me (in the rankings)," Dolidze said. "There's Jared Cannonier, there's Caio Borralho. The one guy maybe I don't want to fight is Sean Strickland because we are training in the same gym."
Cannonier and Borralho hold the two spots above his slot at 8 in the UFC's official rankings. Further up are Adesanya and Whittaker, Strickland, presumed next title challenger Khamzat Chimaev and Nassourdine Imavov — and champ Dricus Du Plessis.
After three straight wins over former 205-pound title challenger Anthony Smith in a light heavyweight one-off, Kevin Holland and former middleweight title challenger Marvin Vettori, Dolidze clearly wants another recognizable name.
If he had to fight down, though, he'd consider it – and thinks late June for International Fight Week in Las Vegas would be a great time for it.
"I always wanted to fight Bo Nickal," he said. "Smart-style wise? (I'd fight him) International Fight Week. But Roman-style wise? I can fight next week – no problem."
Check out Dolidze's full interview in the video above.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
UFC on ABC 9 takeaways: Petr Yan's rightful claim to a title shot
What mattered most at UFC on ABC 9 on Saturday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Here are a few post-fight musings … 4. Steven Nguyen's historic beatdown Steven Nguyen broke a UFC record that stood for the better part of a decade on the preliminary card when he battered Mohammad Yahya and scored a new all-time single-fight high with six knockdowns landed. Nguyen (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) dropped Yahya early in the first round and didn't relent for the next 10 minutes. It could've been stopped multiple times, but referee Jason Herzog gave Yahya every chance to show his heart and durability. Yahya had a flash of an unthinkable turnaround early in the second frame, but then it was right back to Nguyen hurting him until the frame expired and the doctor waved it off. Of the thousands of fights that haven taken place over the course of UFC history, only two fighters, Forrest Petz in 2006 and Jeremy Stephens in 2017, landed five total knockdowns in a single bout. Nguyen set a new bar with his performance, and it might be another decade or more until we see something like that happen again. It's truly rare. 3. Muslim Salikhov can still thump Muslim Salikhov made it three straight knockout wins inside the octagon when he became the first man to finish Carlos Leal with strikes in their welterweight bout. Salikhov (22-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) was a massive betting underdog for the fight, but the 41-year-old disproved all that in a mere 42 seconds when he cracked Leal clean and instantly shut the lights out, sending the crowd, occupied by former UFC champ Islam Makhachev, into an absolute frenzy. "The King of Kung Fu" is a threat to do that to anyone he shares that cage with. Can he turn this run into something that will get him a ranked fight? That is obviously the goal, but even if he falls short of it, he will make it fun. 2. Petr Yan should get a title shot Petr Yan put on another clinic to turn back the surging Marcus McGhee and stake his claim for the next title shot in the bantamweight division. The former champ has put together three consecutive victories since a 1-4 drought that looks much worse on paper than it was in reality, all beginning with his infamous title disqualification loss to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273 in April 2022. If Yan (19-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) ever truly fell out of form, which is arguable, then he's certainly returned to being at or near his peak. It feels like the right time to give him what he asked for, and that's an opportunity to regain the belt against the winner of champ Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen, who meet in the UFC 320 co-main event on Oct. 4 in Las Vegas. The stars seem to align well for him, especially if Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) wins and continues his quest to be an ultra-active champion. Yan has the most deserving resume, but he did lose a lopsided fight to "The Machine" in their first meeting at UFC Fight Night 221 in March 2023. If Sandhagen (18-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) wins, then Yan might have a great chance if the new champ shoos away a rematch with Dvalishvili and wants to avenge his unanimous decision loss to Yan in an interim title bout at UFC 267 in October 2021. Either way, Yan is in a solid position, and the same one he would've been in if he faced a more highly-ranked and more challenging opponent than he got from McGhee. 1. Who won Reinier de Ridder vs. Robert Whittaker? The main event between middleweight contenders Reinier de Ridder and Robert Whittaker came down to the wire after five compelling rounds, and in the end two of three judges felt the former two-division ONE Championship titleholder deserved the nod. What was a fascinating matchup on paper played out in reality, with de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) making a true effort to get the fight to the ground and finish it early before falling back into major success on the feet. He seemingly had Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) hurt multiple times, but Whittaker had the biggest moment of the 25 minutes when he floored de Ridder with a massive punch and was on the doorstep of a stoppage. He couldn't push through it and halt the fight in that third-round sequence, though, and that allowed de Ridder to regain his wits and show his resiliency. To get his hand raised is validating for de Ridder, and continues his dream UFC run. It's hard to say he doesn't deserve it, though any frustration from Whittaker is valid, especially knowing he was probably one good punch away from taking the judges out of the equation. The result leaves many questions around Whittaker and his future after expressing his desire to make one more title run. It stings on many levels, but in his wake a true contender is born in de Ridder. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Abu Dhabi takeaways: Petr Yan's rightful claim to a title shot
USA Today
26 minutes ago
- USA Today
UFC on ABC 9 takeaways: Petr Yan's rightful claim to a title shot
What mattered most at UFC on ABC 9 on Saturday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Here are a few post-fight musings … 4. Steven Nguyen's historic beatdown Steven Nguyen broke a UFC record that stood for the better part of a decade on the preliminary card when he battered Mohammad Yahya and scored a new all-time single-fight high with six knockdowns landed. Nguyen (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) dropped Yahya early in the first round and didn't relent for the next 10 minutes. It could've been stopped multiple times, but referee Jason Herzog gave Yahya every chance to show his heart and durability. Yahya had a flash of an unthinkable turnaround early in the second frame, but then it was right back to Nguyen hurting him until the frame expired and the doctor waved it off. Of the thousands of fights that haven taken place over the course of UFC history, only two fighters, Forrest Petz in 2006 and Jeremy Stephens in 2017, landed five total knockdowns in a single bout. Nguyen set a new bar with his performance, and it might be another decade or more until we see something like that happen again. It's truly rare. 3. Muslim Salikhov can still thump Muslim Salikhov made it three straight knockout wins inside the octagon when he became the first man to finish Carlos Leal with strikes in their welterweight bout. Salikhov (22-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) was a massive betting underdog for the fight, but the 41-year-old disproved all that in a mere 42 seconds when he cracked Leal clean and instantly shut the lights out, sending the crowd, occupied by former UFC champ Islam Makhachev, into an absolute frenzy. "The King of Kung Fu" is a threat to do that to anyone he shares that cage with. Can he turn this run into something that will get him a ranked fight? That is obviously the goal, but even if he falls short of it, he will make it fun. 2. Petr Yan should get a title shot Petr Yan put on another clinic to turn back the surging Marcus McGhee and stake his claim for the next title shot in the bantamweight division. The former champ has put together three consecutive victories since a 1-4 drought that looks much worse on paper than it was in reality, all beginning with his infamous title disqualification loss to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273 in April 2022. If Yan (19-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) ever truly fell out of form, which is arguable, then he's certainly returned to being at or near his peak. It feels like the right time to give him what he asked for, and that's an opportunity to regain the belt against the winner of champ Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen, who meet in the UFC 320 co-main event on Oct. 4 in Las Vegas. The stars seem to align well for him, especially if Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) wins and continues his quest to be an ultra-active champion. Yan has the most deserving resume, but he did lose a lopsided fight to "The Machine" in their first meeting at UFC Fight Night 221 in March 2023. If Sandhagen (18-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) wins, then Yan might have a great chance if the new champ shoos away a rematch with Dvalishvili and wants to avenge his unanimous decision loss to Yan in an interim title bout at UFC 267 in October 2021. Either way, Yan is in a solid position, and the same one he would've been in if he faced a more highly-ranked and more challenging opponent than he got from McGhee. 1. Who won Reinier de Ridder vs. Robert Whittaker? The main event between middleweight contenders Reinier de Ridder and Robert Whittaker came down to the wire after five compelling rounds, and in the end two of three judges felt the former two-division ONE Championship titleholder deserved the nod. What was a fascinating matchup on paper played out in reality, with de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) making a true effort to get the fight to the ground and finish it early before falling back into major success on the feet. He seemingly had Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) hurt multiple times, but Whittaker had the biggest moment of the 25 minutes when he floored de Ridder with a massive punch and was on the doorstep of a stoppage. He couldn't push through it and halt the fight in that third-round sequence, though, and that allowed de Ridder to regain his wits and show his resiliency. To get his hand raised is validating for de Ridder, and continues his dream UFC run. It's hard to say he doesn't deserve it, though any frustration from Whittaker is valid, especially knowing he was probably one good punch away from taking the judges out of the equation. The result leaves many questions around Whittaker and his future after expressing his desire to make one more title run. It stings on many levels, but in his wake a true contender is born in de Ridder.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
LFA 213 video: Loai Abushaar's vicious knee enters Knockout of the Year discussion
The brutal knockouts have come hot and heavy in 2025, and on Saturday at LFA 213, Loai Abushaar landed one that will need at least some shine at year's end. Less than a minute into the opening round of his lightweight bout at Tachi Palace Casino Resort in Lemoore, Calif., Abushaar (5-1) timed the absolute perfect stepping right knee that landed clean to the chin of Edmund Kwan (4-1), instantly putting him out cold with a hard fall to the canvas. It all happened in a mere 51 seconds, with Abushaar handing Kwan his first career loss in a highlight-reel manner. Check out the replay of the nasty knockout below (via X): With the victory, Abushaar kept his 100 percent career stoppage rate in tact and made his back-to-back victories since his lone career blemish in August 2023. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: LFA 213 video: Vicious knee enters Knockout of the Year discussion
