UFC Fight Night Dolidze V. Imavov

Our first UFC card after an amazing PPV event, in UFC 297, was an amazing way to start February. The main card consisted of non-stop action with amazing fights across the card. There was no time to slack while watching this card.

The first fight on the Main Card was a Welterweight bout between Gilbert Urbina and Charles Radtke. The fight started as a striking chess match with many feints being thrown followed by short, fast, and powerful blitzes by both fighters. Late into the first round, Radtke threw a left hook that knocked down Urbina and almost ended the fight. The end was inevitable for Urbina as not long after, Radtke landed another crushing 2-3 combination that dropped Urbina one more time. Subsequent ground-and-pound strikes followed, and referee Mark Smith had no choice but to stop the fight.

Unfortunately, following this beautiful knockout was an unfortunate case for the Middleweight bout between Aliaskhab Khizriev and Makhmud Muradov. Not even 0:11 into the first round, Khizriev poked Muradov in the eye so badly that the referee had to call the fight off. It was an unfortunate ending to a fight that many were excited to see. The fight ended in a No Contest and a rematch will be soon scheduled, I'm sure.

Following up, next was a Women's Flyweight bout between Vivian Araujo and Natalia Silva. The fight opened with Araujo pushing pressure on Silva while holding standing back control. This continued for the majority of the first round until the last thirty seconds of the round when Silva broke out and landed some crushing blows before the horn to conclude the round. The second round started with a combination flurry from Silva that wobbled and almost knocked down Araujo. More cage duels ensued and the occasional break up followed by more grappling and the round went to Silva. With the girls tied at a round each, they needed to finish or win the final round. Silva went out guns blazing and pushed the pace and Araujo shot more desperation clinches and subsequently lost the round, leading Silva to win across the judges' scorecards 29-28.

The last fight before the Co-Main Event was a Welterweight fight between Randy Brown and Muslim Salikhov. These two are very exciting fighters and current prospects to keep on your radar. With neither of the two fighting since last summer they were eager to get back in the cage. Brown started with great distance management keeping Salikhov out of range. Not much later, Brown threw a 1-1-2 combination that knocked down Salikhov and one more punch was all it took for Brown to get the first-round finish.

The Co-Main Event was a Lightweight fight between Renato Moicano and Drew Dober. These two did not wait a minute before rushing in for the brawl. Moicano dominated in the opening round with crushing top pressure from half guard which lasted the entire round. The second round kicked off with more top pressure for the majority of the round. In the last minute, Dober got up, clinched Moicano, threw him face-first into the mat, and opened one of the nastiest cuts I have seen, winning Dober the round. Going into the third round, everyone was nervous for Moicano's safety with the cut leaking blood across the cage. This did not affect his performance and controlled the third round while on top. Moicano won across the judges' scorecards 29-28.

To the Main Event, Roman Dolidze against Nassourdine Imavov. Imavov controlled the entire first round with cage control and a knockdown with follow-up strikes throughout the last minute of the first round. Dolidze was still recovering so in the second round, he pushed Imavov against the cage and Imavov struggled to get out, but when opportunities showed, he took advantage of his quick striking. Into the third round, Imavov used his jab and oblique kick to manage distance and threw his favorite right cross for high damage and power. With another dominant round for Imavov, Dolidze needed something to bounce back on. The fourth round kicked off with more cage battles started by Dolidze, soon after came a kick from Imavov to a downed Dolidze netting him a point deduction across the scorecards. After this break, Dolidze started an intense scramble on the ground. In the final round, Dolidze was searching for the walk-off submission. Imavov survived and kept the fight on its feet, winning the fifth round. This fight was a dominant display from Imavov and a showing of toughness from Dolidze.

This was a great card to follow up a great PPV event. Next Saturday is a great-looking card between Joe Pyfer and Jack Hermansson. Thank you for reading and have a great fight week.