Martin Vettori to face Roman Dolidze at UFC 286 next year

Sources have reported that Martin Vettori will face Roman Dolidze at UFC 286 on March 18, 2023, at The O2 Arena in London.

“UFC 286 on March 18 in London is close to finalizing its first big matchup. Per sources, Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze is on tap at middleweight. Numbers 4 and 8 in the rankings,” ESPN’s Brett Okamoto said.

The 29-year-old Vettori is ranked fourth in the middleweight division, while Dolidze is eighth. The UFC 286 will be both fighters’ first fight in 2023.

In his last matchup, Dolidze defeated former middleweight title holder Jack Hermansson at UFC Fight Night on December 4. With his upcoming fight against Vettori, Dolidze will record his first matchup against a top-five-ranked fighter throughout his UFC career.

On the other hand, Vettori lost his last battle via unanimous decision at UFC 209 Paris against Robert Whittaker on September 3. The Italian went for 1-2 in his past three matches, including a decision win against Paulo Costa and a defeat at a title bid against Israel Adesanya.

Despite Vettori’s recent defeat, Dolidze is expected to have a difficult battle. He will be fighting for the fourth time in less than a year at UFC 286. Into this matchup, Dolidze is on a four-winning streak. A victory over Vettori will stretch his win streak and add to his victories over fighters like Hermansson, Phil Hawes, Kyle Daukaus and Laureno Staropoli.

Besides the Vettori-Dolidze matchup, other household fighters will also be on the card. A source reported that Leon Edwards and his newly acquired welterweight title might fight at the O2, but the opponent has yet to be named.

Another big fight that will take place at the event is a matchup between Khamzat Chimaev and Belal Muhammad, both of whom will compete for the welterweight title eliminator.