Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze are at it again. The middleweight contenders follow up their 2023 fight in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday.
Vettori (19-7-1) previously beat Dolidze by unanimous decision at UFC 286. The one-time title challenger claimed he “f—ed up” repeatedly in his last fight against Dolidze, and expects an even more decisive performance this weekend. “The Italian Dream” has only fought once since, losing a decision to Jared Cannonier, while Dolidze banked three more fights.
Vettori suffered a shoulder injury requiring surgery, putting him on the shelf for 21 months, his longest UFC layoff since his debut nine years ago. The notorious hothead chomps at the bit to fight but said the time off allowed him to mature.
“I was in the UFC when I was 21 or 22. I was so naive,” Vettori told CBS Sports. “Every bone thrown at me, I was trying to catch it. I wanted to take everything. This is the first time — even in the amateurs — to pull out of a fight because of something massive.
“I had tunnel vision… I come from a small town. Everything happened fast.”
Check out the full interview with Marvin Vettori below.
Dolidze (14-3) shares Vettori’s self-growth and anger management journey, though he suggests Vettori lost his mean streak years ago. Vettori successfully implemented a counter striking gameplan against Dolidze in the first meeting. The Georgian fighter believes the judges awarded the fight to the wrong athlete. Dolidze insists his forward pressure earned him the fight, even though Vettori landed more offense.
“Go back and watch the fight. You’ll understand who was angry and who wasn’t,” Dolidze told CBS Sports. “I was always going forward. He was smart because he didn’t go forward at all. I was waiting for him to do it since he was always going forward against every opponent. But with me, he didn’t take even one step forward.”
The promotion’s return to Las Vegas’ UFC Apex is low on name value. You will struggle to find much star power or divisional relevance. Excluding the main event, the only ranked fighter on the card is No. 12 ranked Waldo Cortes Acosta on the prelims. For those strictly pursuing violence: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Chidi Njokuani has high fun factor potential.
Below is the rest of the fight card for Saturday, with the latest odds, before we make a prediction and pick the main event.
UFC Fight Night card, odds
| Marvin Vettori -160 | Roman Dolidze +135 | Middleweight |
| Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos -195 | Chidi Njokuani +165 | Welterweight |
| Alexander Hernandez -205 | Kurt Holobaugh +170 | Lightweight |
| Da’mon Blackshear -450 | Cody Gibson +350 | Bantamweight |
| Diyar Nurgozhay – 370 | Brendson Ribiero +290 | Light heavyweight |
| Kevin Vallejos -600 | Seungwoo Choi +430 | Featherweight |
UFC Fight Night viewing information
Date: March 15 | Start time: 7 p.m. ET (main card)
Location: UFC Apex — Las Vegas
TV channel: ESPN+
Prediction
Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze: Dolidze correctly identified that he must manage his pace. Dolidze fatigued in their first fight and subsequently against Nassourdine Imavov, the latter being Dolidze’s first five-round fight. Dolidze even looked tired on short notice against Anthony Smith at light heavyweight. Vettori feels like the veteran having signed with the UFC four years before Dolidze, but the Italian fighter is five years Dolidze’s junior. Athletically, Vettori should improve as Dolidze begins to slide. The same goes for their technical advancements. I’m not sure Dolidze has made the improvements necessary to beat Vettori. Dolidze stung Vettori in Round 1 but fell behind as Vettori outstruck him. Jabs, leg kicks and movement won Vettori the fight. I suspect the same strategy works again. Vettori’s long layoff is concerning, but not enough to root against him. Vettori via unanimous decision
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