Middleweights
#8 MW | Jack Hermansson (23-7, 10-5 UFC) vs. Roman Dolidze (11-1, 5-1 UFC)It took Hermansson time to get his UFC career going, but things worked out well for “The Joker.” Initially an unorthodox striker before suddenly pivoting to a ground-and-pound specialist, Hermansson hung around the midcard until a sudden breakout early in 2019. Hermansson scored a submission win over David Branch, then stepped in less than a month later for a main event win over Ronaldo Souza, going from afterthought to potential contender in about four weeks. Representing both Sweden and Norway, the UFC saw Hermansson as a potential star for the Scandinavian market, making him the A-side in the main event of the promotion’s debut in Copenhagen. After a strong start against Jared Cannonier, Hermansson hit a wall and found himself knocked out in the second round. Hermansson has remained just below the middleweight elite in the years since. He is well-rounded enough to take care of most opponents, but the likes of Marvin Vettori and Sean Strickland have been durable and consistent enough to leave Hermansson without much of an opening to work his way into their fights. For the second straight outing, Hermansson finds himself with a late-notice opponent change that does not allow him to build much momentum. A high-profile pairing with Darren Till in July instead turned into a win over Chris Curtis, while this time around, Derek Brunson gets replaced with Roman Dolidze. The 34-year-old Dolidze is still a hard fighter to nail down in terms of what he brings to the table, but he has certainly proven himself to be a tricky and dangerous opponent thus far. The Georgian made his UFC debut as a light heavyweight prospect who leaned on his athleticism. Dolidze’s approach did not always make the most sense, but he would throw out enough wild strikes and high-risk submissions that something would eventually work given his speed and power. Then he cut down to middleweight in 2021 and seemingly reinvented himself as a low-output grinder, particularly in a hideous decision victory over Laureano Staropoli. Dolidze has split the difference in 2022. While he is not a consistently effective fighter from minute to minute, he has succeeded in finding some fight-ending violence. He broke Kyle Daukaus’ face with a knee in June, then hobbled Phil Hawes with a kneebar before finding a first-round knockout in October. Dolidze could certainly continue that run here—Hermansson does occasionally get knocked out by elite athletes such as Cannonier and Thiago Santos—but it is difficult to bet on his low-output and often aimless style against such a hard-nosed and consistent fighter, particularly since his typical wrestling threat does not figure to make much hay. It is a risky fight, but the pick is Hermansson via decision.
Jump To »
Thompson vs. Holland
Dos Anjos vs. Barberena
Nicolau vs. Schnell
Pavlovich vs. Tuivasa
Hermansson vs. Dolidze
Daukaus vs. Anders
The Prelims