What’s next for Nassourdine Imavov and Roman Dolidze after UFC Vegas 85?

In the main event of UFC Vegas 85, top 15 middleweights collided as Nassourdine Imavov took on Roman Dolidze.

Imavov entered the fight coming off a frustrating 2023, as his last fight was a No Contest against Chris Curtis due to a clash of heads. To begin 2023, he dropped a decision to Sean Strickland as he went 0-1 with one NC in 2023. Dolidze, meanwhile, was coming off a decision loss to Marvin Vettori back in March in his only fight of 2023.

Ultimately, it was Nassourdine Imavov who edged out a majority decision win over Roman Dolidze, even though he was deducted a point in the fight. Following UFC Vegas 85, here is what I think should be next for both fighters involved in the main event.

Nassourdine Imavov

Nassourdine Imavov returned to the win column in a big way on Saturday at UFC Vegas 85.

Imavov outstruck Dolidze 154-to-59 in the fight but was controlled for over 10 minutes, which made the fight competitive. Yet, Imavov’s striking proved to be the difference as he was able to edge out the decision win, and nearly TKO’d Dolidze in the first round as he dropped him and landed heavy ground and pound, but the Georgian was able to survive.

With the win, Nassourdine Imavov will be ranked in the top 10 and should get another main event fight next time out against the loser of Brendan Allen vs. Marvin Vettori. The two are set to fight in April, so the timing would work for the two to fight in August in Paris, as Imavov could headline the card there against Allen or Vettori in a pivotal scrap for both men.

Roman Dolidze

Roman Dolidze is now on a two-fight losing streak and is 6-3 in the UFC following his majority decision loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Vegas 85.

Dolidze showed off his wrestling in the fight, but on the feet, he struggled against the Frenchman. Following the loss, Dolidze will fight someone ranked behind him and should fight the winner of Anthony Hernandez vs. Roman Kopylov at UFC 298.

Kopylov is unranked while Hernandez is ranked 14th so the winner will be in line for a big fight next time out and Dolidze will need to prove he belongs in the rankings after two straight losses.