MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for UFC Fight Night 235.
UFC Fight Night 235 (ESPN+) takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Roman Dolidze (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC)
Staple info:
- Height: 6’2″ Age: 35 Weight: 185 lbs. Reach: “76”
- Last fight: Decision loss to Marvin Vettori (March 18, 2023)
- Camp: Xtreme Couture (Las Vegas, NV)
- Stance/striking style: Switch-stance/muay Thai
- Risk management: Fair
Supplemental info:
+ Regional MMA title
+ Multiple grappling accolades
+ 7 KO victories
+ 3 submission wins
+ 7 first-round finishes
+ KO power
+ Aggressive pace and pressure
+ Steadily improving striking
^ Coming forward or in combination
+ Strikes well off the breaks
+ Strong inside of the clinch
^ Hard knees and elbows
+ Dangerous transitional grappler
^ Opportunistic submissions and active guard
Nassourdine Imavov (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC)
Staple info:
- Height: 6’3″ Age: 28 Weight: 185 lbs. Reach: 75″
- Last fight: *No Contest with Chris Curtis (June 20, 2023)
- Camp: MMA Factory (France)
- Stance/striking style: Orthodox/muay Thai
- Risk management: Fair
Supplemental info:
+ Regional MMA title
+ 5 knockout victories
+ 4 submission wins
+ 7 first-round finishes
+ Solid feel for range and movement
+ Works well off of lead hand
^ Hard hooks and uppercuts
+ Strong inside the clinch
^ Frames well for knees and elbows
+ Strikes well off the breaks
+ Serviceable wrestling ability
^ Defensively and offensively
+ Deceptive front-choke acumen
+ Grapples well from topside
Point of interest: Middleweight maelstrom
The main event on ESPN+ features a pair of ranked middleweights who are incredibly offensive-minded.
A marauding madman on all fronts, Roman Dolidze – despite his grappling base – has proven that he is not afraid to mix things up on the feet.
Competent from either stance, Dolidze is a fairly flexible striker who carries power in both hands. Whether Dolidze is looking to incite exchanges by initiating or countering in combination, the 35-year-old Georgian throws almost everything with fight-ending intentions.
When feeling in stride, Dolidze will unleash some surprisingly fast and flashy kicks that he typically targets the head with. That said, Dolidze has also shown the ability to sneakily connect punches to kicks and knees off of the same side, particularly when looking to close distance in open-stance affairs.
Still, closing the distance can be easier said than done when it comes to a fighter like Nassourdine Imavov.
Although he appears to possess a natural aptitude for countering, Imavov also has a penchant for piecing together offense off of his lead hand.
From active feints to sneaky hooks off of his jab, Imavov seems to have a solid sense of range that helps fuel his attacks. And when Imavov can corral his opposition toward the cage, the Russian-born fighter is not afraid to unleash everything from hooking combinations to flying knees.
Imavov also carries a lot of the defensive and standing swagger that you see from some of his other MMA Factory stablemates, which in turn helps his countering sensibilities.
Nevertheless, Imavov’s low-handed guard and sometimes lackadaisical approach to offense have cost him both when coming forward (in the form of counters) and when going backward in extended exchanges (as Imavov’s head will also go upright when retreating in straight lines).
Point of interest: Potential grappling threats
Considering Dolidze’s on-paper advantages and chaotic style, no one should be shocked if this party ends up on the floor at some point this Saturday.
Although process and consistency aren’t things that are typically synonymous with Dolidze’s game, the Georgian fighter has displayed serviceable takedown tools in the past.
Dolidze is athletic enough for shot attempts in the open, but the 35-year-old pro appears to prefer working things out from the clinch.
Utilizing his long limbs, Dolidze does well at either securing grips for takedown attempts or framing for devastating knees and strikes off the breaks. That said, Dolidze is not beyond being taken down or out-positioned himself – so don’t sleep on Imavov in these spots.
Even though the fighter from France has fewer attempts on the stat sheet (which can be deceiving given sample sizes), Imavov’s offensive nature often finds himself flowing or crashing into clinch space.
Imavov will sometimes parlay this momentum into opportunistic level-changing takedown attempts that either score or allow him to secure his foes along the fence.
Imavov has seemingly absorbed a lot of the muay Thai swagger seen in a lot of Fernand Lopez fighters, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the 28-year-old utilize his solid framing game in close to land some vicious elbows and knees of his own. That said, I’m not sure how much he’ll want to go strength-for-strength with a guy like Dolidze in closed quarters.
Aside from the finishes he’s been accruing in said space, Dolidze is also the type of opportunistic grappler who will go for submissions in strange and unorthodox positions.
Not afraid to invert his guard or drop for a leg, Dolidze’s competence and confidence make for a dangerous dance partner in this division. Imavov may have a solid game from topside, but I’m not so sure he’ll willingly want to try his luck with a customer like Dolidze.
Point of interest: Odds and opinions
The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the native of France, listing Imavov -166 and Dolidze +130 via Fan Duel.
Considering that Imavov is the fighter with a more reliable process, I can’t say that I’m surprised to see him as the designated favorite in this spot.
Not only should Imavov have the on-paper edge at range, but the MMA Factory fighter has five-round experience that Dolidze has yet to deal with. That said, Imavov – both in three and five-round affairs – has shown a propensity to flag in hard fights.
Add in the fact that this fight will be taking place in the smaller octagon of the UFC Apex, and I can’t help but take a flier on the superior submission grappler in Dolidze.
Although it’s admittedly not a hard-and-fast rule, I tend to give a decent edge to the more dangerous grappler if the fight is going down in the small cage.
For that reason, I’ll semi-reluctantly pick Dolidze to ride out the first frame to find an opportunistic submission in either round 2 or 3.
