UFC middleweight contender Roman Dolidze was on the losing end of one of the most dominant performances of the year.
Roman Dolidze‘s three-fight win streak came to an abrupt end at the hands of the streaking Anthony Hernandez at UFC Vegas 109. After Hernandez beat up Dolidze in every facet of the fight through the first three rounds, Hernandez sunk in a rear-naked choke in Round 4 to cement the best performance of his career.
Hernandez made an intriguing case for a title shot following his performance at UFC Vegas 109. As for Dolidze, it was a lopsided defeat in his opportunity to enter the middleweight title conversation.
Despite the loss at UFC Vegas 109, Dolidze is in good spirits as he looks to potentially work his way back to a future rematch with Hernandez.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCRoman Dolidze opens up on UFC Vegas 109 defeat to Anthony Hernandez
In a recent Instagram post, Dolidze addressed his following after UFC Vegas 109.
“Thank you everybody for the support. I’m feeling good. Fight business is like that. Sometimes doesn’t go to plan,” Dolidze said. “I want to say big thank you to my coaches, to [Xtreme Couture and the UFC PI] family and everyone who has supported me. Thank God for everything! No step Back! Onto the next.
“Feeling good, just a little sore. I want to thank everyone who is there for me. Y’all not listening to nobody! I signed a new contract before this fight. Nothing can stop us it’s just a fight.
“There is strength in unity. See you soon in Georgia! I thank everyone who cheered for me. The result is not the one we wanted, but it’s just fights. Keep moving on.”
Dolidze defeated Marvin Vettori, Kevin Holland, and Anthony Smith (light heavyweight) before the loss to Hernandez. His three-fight win streak came after consecutive defeats to Nassourdine Imavov and Vettori.
As for what’s next for Hernandez, he’ll fly out to sit cageside for Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev this Saturday in Chicago. Ahead of UFC 319, a top UFC analyst praised Hernandez as the UFC’s best 185-pound combatant.
Anthony Hernandez praised as ‘best middleweight’ by top UFC analyst
Din Thomas raised eyebrows during the UFC Vegas 109 post-fight show when he claimed that Hernandez was the ‘best middleweight on the planet’ after watching his win. Hernandez has won eight consecutive fights, including recent wins over Michel Pereira and Brendan Allen.
Du Plessis, the UFC’s middleweight titleholder, faces arguably the toughest test of his title reign this weekend against the undefeated Chimaev. Despite Du Plessis’s accolades, few are giving him a chance to win against Chimaev and retain his title.
While Caio Borralho will serve as the UFC 319 backup this weekend, Hernandez could be next in line for a title shot following his dominant performance. We’ll know more about what’s next for Hernandez and the rest of the middleweights on Saturday in Chicago.