5 Things You Might Not Know About Roman Dolidze

The jury remains out on Roman Dolidze.

Armed with an 8-1 record and established pedigrees, the 32-year-old Georgian will lock horns with Laureano Staropoli in a UFC Fight Night 189 middleweight showcase on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. There, Dolidze looks to rebound from his first setback as a pro. He last appeared at UFC on ESPN 21, where he fell from the ranks of the unbeaten and dropped a unanimous decision to Trevin Giles on March 20. “The Caucasian” started his mixed martial arts career with eight consecutive victories, seven of them finishes.

Ahead of Dolidze’s three-round battle with Chute Boxe’s Staropoli, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He rose out of the Caucasus region.

Dolidze was born on July 15, 1988 in Batumi, Georgia—a port city of some 170,000 people that rests on the coast of the Black Sea. Infamous Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was believed to have resided there at one time.

2. He excels in close-quarters combat.

World-class grappling skills provide Dolidze with his base. He struck gold at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling Asia and Oceania Championships in 2016 and advanced to compete at the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in 2017.

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3. The late-bloomer description fits him.

Dolidze did not start his formal mixed martial arts training until the age of 28. He made his professional debut the same year, as he submitted Alexander Kovbel with a heel hook less than a minute into their Dec. 9, 2016 confrontation at a Real Fight Promotion event in Odessa, Ukraine.

4. He believes in punctuality.

The Xtreme Couture rep finished each of his first four opponents inside one round, recording those four victories in 6:55 combined. After Dolidze’s aforementioned win over Kovbel, he submitted Remi Delcampe with a heel hook in 56 seconds, put away Zhumabek Aijigit with a rear-naked choke in 1:21 and wiped out Amirali Joroev with punches in 3:34.

5. Europe’s regional scene could not contain him.

Dolidze captured the World Warriors Fight Championship light heavyweight crown when he knocked out Eder de Souza in the second round of their WWFC 11 encounter on June 16, 2018. He made one successful title defense—he knocked out Michal Pasternak six months later—before vacating the throne to sign with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.