Anthony Smith and Roman Dolidze, UFC 303 official weigh-in Photo Credit: Eddie Law/Cageside Press
LAS VEGAS – UFC middleweight Roman Dolidze grabbed the opportunity to quickly move up to 205 pounds to face Anthony Smith, and he earned it all with a win Saturday night.
Dolidze is going after Smith’s lead leg, trying to take away his lead leg and power. Let’s not forget that neither of these men were prepared to face each other before tonight.
The two men faced each other head-on for most of the bout, with both opting to attack the legs with kicks to the calf, enough to have Dolidze grinning when Smith attacked, and showing he was feeling the pain as Dolidze landed a kick to Smith’s calf.
With one minute left in the first round, Smith tried to launch an onslaught on Dolidze to take the round for himself. Dolidze was attacking Smith like a bullfighter in that moment. At the end of the round, Smith’s corner asked him to “let go,” but Smith hesitated. The crowd booed as the first round ended.
The second round started off more of the same, but Dolidze was able to take Smith down and do some damage from above. Dolidze must have thought Smith was hurt, but the 205-pound veteran covered and defended well enough that Smith started trying to get his back. Smith spent most of the remaining round trying to control his wrists to avoid being choked.
By the third round, both fighters were clearly exhausted. Both men attacked, but they seemed to take turns attacking. Most of the fight had a sparring feel to it, which makes sense considering this was a short-notice bout.
Dolidze won by decision and called up Khamzat Chimaev at 185 pounds.
Official result: Roman Dolidze defeats Anthony Smith via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
