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Welcome to the MMA News’ Sleeper Scrap! The relentless schedule of the MMA world means that some fans don’t have a full look at a fight card until days before the event, leaving the promoters to decide which bouts you should be paying the most attention to.
Everyone wants to tune in for main events and fights that feature popular names, but that means meaningful or potentially action-packed matchups from elsewhere on fight cards sometimes get lost in the shuffle. A Sleeper Scrap might highlight interesting style matchups, fighters with notable storylines, or bouts that simply have the chance to be a Fight of the Night contender.
The UFC returns this week with a solid Fight Night to prepare fans for next week’s UFC 282. A few matchups from the UFC Orlando prelims stand out as being fights that might be worth a closer look, but this week’s Sleeper Scrap is a middleweight contest from the main card between Jack Hermansson and Roman Dolidze.
The Matchup
Just over three weeks removed from his last fight, Roman Dolidze will try to capitalize on a short-notice opportunity to break into the UFC’s middleweight rankings.
The 34-year-old arrived in the UFC with an undefeated record in 2020 and picked up a pair of wins before losing a close decision to Trevin Giles. His first career loss was followed by a lackluster decision win over Laureano Staropoli where Dolidze largely controlled the Argentinian along the fence for the majority of the fight.
It’s been Dolidze’s last two fights where the Georgian has really started to make waves in the UFC with first-round finishes of Kyle Daukaus and Phil Hawes, both of which appeared on the MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes of the Week.
Dolidze has managed to distance himself from a lackluster win over Staropoli with back-to-back knockouts. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Dolidze’s finish of Daukaus was notable both for how quickly it happened and where in the cage it occurred. The 34-year-old was unable to get much offense off against the fence in his fight with Staropoli, but Dolidze used the same position against Daukaus to throw up a knee that dropped “The D’Arce Knight.”
Jack Hermansson currently occupies the #8 spot in the UFC’s middleweight rankings and was set to take on the #5-ranked Derek Brunson at UFC Orlando, but instead “The Joker” will take the risk of facing an unranked fighter on short notice.
Hermansson was at one point on a four-fight win streak with three finishes, but since being stopped by Jared Cannonier in 2019 he’s alternated wins and losses in the UFC. “The Joker” started 2022 off with a big opportunity in his second UFC main event but ended up delivering a disappointing performance.
Some of the blame for what turned out to be one of the more uneventful fights of the year is shared with his opponent Sean Strickland, but neither man appeared willing to risk anything in pursuit of a win before Strickland walked away with a split decision.
Hermansson’s fight with Strickland wasn’t exactly the most memorable main event of 2022. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
The reward for that underwhelming loss was a July matchup with Chris Curtis, who quickly put together a 3-0 record in the UFC after joining the promotion in 2021.
“The Action Man” had stopped two of his three UFC opponents with strikes, but Hermansson put on an impressive showing where he largely got the better of Curtis on the feet en route to a clear unanimous decision win.
One notable aspect of the win against Curtis was the fact that Hermansson won without having to take the fight to the mat, as the 34-year-old’s top position and ground and pound have typically been the most dominant aspect of his game.
Any potential ground exchanges could prove to be the most entertaining part of this fight. Dolidze largely relied on his wrestling skills prior to his two most recent performances, and the Georgian also loves to threaten leg locks if he finds himself on his back.
The Stakes
As is often the case with short-notice fights, Dolidze has everything to gain here and very little to lose aside from possibly having his current win streak broken.
The Georgian made good use of his time on the microphone after beating Hawes to call for a fight with any of the UFC’s top middleweights. Even if this opportunity is sooner than expected, a win could take Dolidze from being unranked to possibly vaulting straight into the division’s Top 10.
Dolidze is actually the same age as Hermansson but being a 34-year-old that only joined the UFC in 2020 doesn’t provide a ton of room to rebound from losses if he intends to climb the rankings. This current win streak is a great chance for the Georgian to prove if he can truly hang with the best fighters in the middleweight division.
Dolidze can capitalize on his recent results with a win over the #8-ranked Hermansson. (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)
A loss wouldn’t hurt his overall stock all that much given that he just fought less than a month ago and is taking on one of the division’s top fighters, but it would certainly be frustrating to lose some of the momentum he’s built from his recent results.
Hermansson finds himself in an unenviable position, as the 34-year-old went from having a chance to jump higher in the rankings in a matchup with Brunson to facing an up-and-comer that’s entering the fight having stopped his last two opponents.
This bout is actually similar to Hermansson’s last fight with Curtis in terms of where Dolidze is in his UFC career. Curtis was riding a win streak with a pair of finishes and looking to break into the middleweight rankings, while “The Joker” was coming off that lackluster loss to Strickland and needed a win.
The 34-year-old managed to remind everyone why he’s still a top middleweight with that performance against Curtis, and he’ll have to do that again in this fight with Dolidze.
Hermansson halted Curtis’ winning streak in his last fight. (Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports)
Hermansson doesn’t need to necessarily finish the Georgian, but he will need to put on the kind of comprehensive showing he had against “The Action Man” to try and prove that Dolidze isn’t on his level. As much as a back-and-forth fight would appeal more to the fans, that kind of result would reflect much better on Dolidze even in a losing effort than it would on “The Joker.”
A victory for Hermansson would put him on his first winning streak since 2019, and the 34-year-old could either wait to rebook the fight with Brunson or potentially meet the winner of next week’s middleweight tilt between Darren Till and Dricus Du Plessis.
There could definitely end up being some interesting scrambles in this fight, but it’s status as a Sleeper Scrap rests largely in the narrative of Dolidze trying to break into the top tier of the division on short notice and Hermansson looking to hold his own ranking against the up-and-comer.
How do you think this bout between Hermansson and Dolidze will turn out? Are there any other fights from UFC Orlando that you feel deserve more attention?
Welcome to the MMA News’ Sleeper Scrap! The relentless schedule of the MMA world means that some fans don’t have a full look at a fight card until days before the event, leaving the promoters to decide which bouts you should be paying the most attention to.
Everyone wants to tune in for main events and fights that feature popular names, but that means meaningful or potentially action-packed matchups from elsewhere on fight cards sometimes get lost in the shuffle. A Sleeper Scrap might highlight interesting style matchups, fighters with notable storylines, or bouts that simply have the chance to be a Fight of the Night contender.
The UFC returns this week with a solid Fight Night to prepare fans for next week’s UFC 282. A few matchups from the UFC Orlando prelims stand out as being fights that might be worth a closer look, but this week’s Sleeper Scrap is a middleweight contest from the main card between Jack Hermansson and Roman Dolidze.
The Matchup
Just over three weeks removed from his last fight, Roman Dolidze will try to capitalize on a short-notice opportunity to break into the UFC’s middleweight rankings.
The 34-year-old arrived in the UFC with an undefeated record in 2020 and picked up a pair of wins before losing a close decision to Trevin Giles. His first career loss was followed by a lackluster decision win over Laureano Staropoli where Dolidze largely controlled the Argentinian along the fence for the majority of the fight.
It’s been Dolidze’s last two fights where the Georgian has really started to make waves in the UFC with first-round finishes of Kyle Daukaus and Phil Hawes, both of which appeared on the MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes of the Week.
Dolidze has managed to distance himself from a lackluster win over Staropoli with back-to-back knockouts. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Dolidze’s finish of Daukaus was notable both for how quickly it happened and where in the cage it occurred. The 34-year-old was unable to get much offense off against the fence in his fight with Staropoli, but Dolidze used the same position against Daukaus to throw up a knee that dropped “The D’Arce Knight.”
Jack Hermansson currently occupies the #8 spot in the UFC’s middleweight rankings and was set to take on the #5-ranked Derek Brunson at UFC Orlando, but instead “The Joker” will take the risk of facing an unranked fighter on short notice.
Hermansson was at one point on a four-fight win streak with three finishes, but since being stopped by Jared Cannonier in 2019 he’s alternated wins and losses in the UFC. “The Joker” started 2022 off with a big opportunity in his second UFC main event but ended up delivering a disappointing performance.
Some of the blame for what turned out to be one of the more uneventful fights of the year is shared with his opponent Sean Strickland, but neither man appeared willing to risk anything in pursuit of a win before Strickland walked away with a split decision.
Hermansson’s fight with Strickland wasn’t exactly the most memorable main event of 2022. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
The reward for that underwhelming loss was a July matchup with Chris Curtis, who quickly put together a 3-0 record in the UFC after joining the promotion in 2021.
“The Action Man” had stopped two of his three UFC opponents with strikes, but Hermansson put on an impressive showing where he largely got the better of Curtis on the feet en route to a clear unanimous decision win.
One notable aspect of the win against Curtis was the fact that Hermansson won without having to take the fight to the mat, as the 34-year-old’s top position and ground and pound have typically been the most dominant aspect of his game.
Any potential ground exchanges could prove to be the most entertaining part of this fight. Dolidze largely relied on his wrestling skills prior to his two most recent performances, and the Georgian also loves to threaten leg locks if he finds himself on his back.
The Stakes
As is often the case with short-notice fights, Dolidze has everything to gain here and very little to lose aside from possibly having his current win streak broken.
The Georgian made good use of his time on the microphone after beating Hawes to call for a fight with any of the UFC’s top middleweights. Even if this opportunity is sooner than expected, a win could take Dolidze from being unranked to possibly vaulting straight into the division’s Top 10.
Dolidze is actually the same age as Hermansson but being a 34-year-old that only joined the UFC in 2020 doesn’t provide a ton of room to rebound from losses if he intends to climb the rankings. This current win streak is a great chance for the Georgian to prove if he can truly hang with the best fighters in the middleweight division.
Dolidze can capitalize on his recent results with a win over the #8-ranked Hermansson. (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)
A loss wouldn’t hurt his overall stock all that much given that he just fought less than a month ago and is taking on one of the division’s top fighters, but it would certainly be frustrating to lose some of the momentum he’s built from his recent results.
Hermansson finds himself in an unenviable position, as the 34-year-old went from having a chance to jump higher in the rankings in a matchup with Brunson to facing an up-and-comer that’s entering the fight having stopped his last two opponents.
This bout is actually similar to Hermansson’s last fight with Curtis in terms of where Dolidze is in his UFC career. Curtis was riding a win streak with a pair of finishes and looking to break into the middleweight rankings, while “The Joker” was coming off that lackluster loss to Strickland and needed a win.
The 34-year-old managed to remind everyone why he’s still a top middleweight with that performance against Curtis, and he’ll have to do that again in this fight with Dolidze.
Hermansson halted Curtis’ winning streak in his last fight. (Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports)
Hermansson doesn’t need to necessarily finish the Georgian, but he will need to put on the kind of comprehensive showing he had against “The Action Man” to try and prove that Dolidze isn’t on his level. As much as a back-and-forth fight would appeal more to the fans, that kind of result would reflect much better on Dolidze even in a losing effort than it would on “The Joker.”
A victory for Hermansson would put him on his first winning streak since 2019, and the 34-year-old could either wait to rebook the fight with Brunson or potentially meet the winner of next week’s middleweight tilt between Darren Till and Dricus Du Plessis.
There could definitely end up being some interesting scrambles in this fight, but it’s status as a Sleeper Scrap rests largely in the narrative of Dolidze trying to break into the top tier of the division on short notice and Hermansson looking to hold his own ranking against the up-and-comer.
How do you think this bout between Hermansson and Dolidze will turn out? Are there any other fights from UFC Orlando that you feel deserve more attention?
Click here to view the article.
Everyone wants to tune in for main events and fights that feature popular names, but that means meaningful or potentially action-packed matchups from elsewhere on fight cards sometimes get lost in the shuffle. A Sleeper Scrap might highlight interesting style matchups, fighters with notable storylines, or bouts that simply have the chance to be a Fight of the Night contender.
The UFC returns this week with a solid Fight Night to prepare fans for next week’s UFC 282. A few matchups from the UFC Orlando prelims stand out as being fights that might be worth a closer look, but this week’s Sleeper Scrap is a middleweight contest from the main card between Jack Hermansson and Roman Dolidze.
The Matchup
Just over three weeks removed from his last fight, Roman Dolidze will try to capitalize on a short-notice opportunity to break into the UFC’s middleweight rankings.
The 34-year-old arrived in the UFC with an undefeated record in 2020 and picked up a pair of wins before losing a close decision to Trevin Giles. His first career loss was followed by a lackluster decision win over Laureano Staropoli where Dolidze largely controlled the Argentinian along the fence for the majority of the fight.
It’s been Dolidze’s last two fights where the Georgian has really started to make waves in the UFC with first-round finishes of Kyle Daukaus and Phil Hawes, both of which appeared on the MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes of the Week.
Dolidze has managed to distance himself from a lackluster win over Staropoli with back-to-back knockouts. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Dolidze’s finish of Daukaus was notable both for how quickly it happened and where in the cage it occurred. The 34-year-old was unable to get much offense off against the fence in his fight with Staropoli, but Dolidze used the same position against Daukaus to throw up a knee that dropped “The D’Arce Knight.”
Jack Hermansson currently occupies the #8 spot in the UFC’s middleweight rankings and was set to take on the #5-ranked Derek Brunson at UFC Orlando, but instead “The Joker” will take the risk of facing an unranked fighter on short notice.
Hermansson was at one point on a four-fight win streak with three finishes, but since being stopped by Jared Cannonier in 2019 he’s alternated wins and losses in the UFC. “The Joker” started 2022 off with a big opportunity in his second UFC main event but ended up delivering a disappointing performance.
Some of the blame for what turned out to be one of the more uneventful fights of the year is shared with his opponent Sean Strickland, but neither man appeared willing to risk anything in pursuit of a win before Strickland walked away with a split decision.
Hermansson’s fight with Strickland wasn’t exactly the most memorable main event of 2022. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
The reward for that underwhelming loss was a July matchup with Chris Curtis, who quickly put together a 3-0 record in the UFC after joining the promotion in 2021.
“The Action Man” had stopped two of his three UFC opponents with strikes, but Hermansson put on an impressive showing where he largely got the better of Curtis on the feet en route to a clear unanimous decision win.
One notable aspect of the win against Curtis was the fact that Hermansson won without having to take the fight to the mat, as the 34-year-old’s top position and ground and pound have typically been the most dominant aspect of his game.
Any potential ground exchanges could prove to be the most entertaining part of this fight. Dolidze largely relied on his wrestling skills prior to his two most recent performances, and the Georgian also loves to threaten leg locks if he finds himself on his back.
The Stakes
As is often the case with short-notice fights, Dolidze has everything to gain here and very little to lose aside from possibly having his current win streak broken.
The Georgian made good use of his time on the microphone after beating Hawes to call for a fight with any of the UFC’s top middleweights. Even if this opportunity is sooner than expected, a win could take Dolidze from being unranked to possibly vaulting straight into the division’s Top 10.
Dolidze is actually the same age as Hermansson but being a 34-year-old that only joined the UFC in 2020 doesn’t provide a ton of room to rebound from losses if he intends to climb the rankings. This current win streak is a great chance for the Georgian to prove if he can truly hang with the best fighters in the middleweight division.
Dolidze can capitalize on his recent results with a win over the #8-ranked Hermansson. (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)
A loss wouldn’t hurt his overall stock all that much given that he just fought less than a month ago and is taking on one of the division’s top fighters, but it would certainly be frustrating to lose some of the momentum he’s built from his recent results.
Hermansson finds himself in an unenviable position, as the 34-year-old went from having a chance to jump higher in the rankings in a matchup with Brunson to facing an up-and-comer that’s entering the fight having stopped his last two opponents.
This bout is actually similar to Hermansson’s last fight with Curtis in terms of where Dolidze is in his UFC career. Curtis was riding a win streak with a pair of finishes and looking to break into the middleweight rankings, while “The Joker” was coming off that lackluster loss to Strickland and needed a win.
The 34-year-old managed to remind everyone why he’s still a top middleweight with that performance against Curtis, and he’ll have to do that again in this fight with Dolidze.
Hermansson halted Curtis’ winning streak in his last fight. (Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports)
Hermansson doesn’t need to necessarily finish the Georgian, but he will need to put on the kind of comprehensive showing he had against “The Action Man” to try and prove that Dolidze isn’t on his level. As much as a back-and-forth fight would appeal more to the fans, that kind of result would reflect much better on Dolidze even in a losing effort than it would on “The Joker.”
A victory for Hermansson would put him on his first winning streak since 2019, and the 34-year-old could either wait to rebook the fight with Brunson or potentially meet the winner of next week’s middleweight tilt between Darren Till and Dricus Du Plessis.
There could definitely end up being some interesting scrambles in this fight, but it’s status as a Sleeper Scrap rests largely in the narrative of Dolidze trying to break into the top tier of the division on short notice and Hermansson looking to hold his own ranking against the up-and-comer.
How do you think this bout between Hermansson and Dolidze will turn out? Are there any other fights from UFC Orlando that you feel deserve more attention?
Welcome to the MMA News’ Sleeper Scrap! The relentless schedule of the MMA world means that some fans don’t have a full look at a fight card until days before the event, leaving the promoters to decide which bouts you should be paying the most attention to.
Everyone wants to tune in for main events and fights that feature popular names, but that means meaningful or potentially action-packed matchups from elsewhere on fight cards sometimes get lost in the shuffle. A Sleeper Scrap might highlight interesting style matchups, fighters with notable storylines, or bouts that simply have the chance to be a Fight of the Night contender.
The UFC returns this week with a solid Fight Night to prepare fans for next week’s UFC 282. A few matchups from the UFC Orlando prelims stand out as being fights that might be worth a closer look, but this week’s Sleeper Scrap is a middleweight contest from the main card between Jack Hermansson and Roman Dolidze.
The Matchup
Just over three weeks removed from his last fight, Roman Dolidze will try to capitalize on a short-notice opportunity to break into the UFC’s middleweight rankings.
The 34-year-old arrived in the UFC with an undefeated record in 2020 and picked up a pair of wins before losing a close decision to Trevin Giles. His first career loss was followed by a lackluster decision win over Laureano Staropoli where Dolidze largely controlled the Argentinian along the fence for the majority of the fight.
It’s been Dolidze’s last two fights where the Georgian has really started to make waves in the UFC with first-round finishes of Kyle Daukaus and Phil Hawes, both of which appeared on the MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes of the Week.
Dolidze’s finish of Daukaus was notable both for how quickly it happened and where in the cage it occurred. The 34-year-old was unable to get much offense off against the fence in his fight with Staropoli, but Dolidze used the same position against Daukaus to throw up a knee that dropped “The D’Arce Knight.”
Jack Hermansson currently occupies the #8 spot in the UFC’s middleweight rankings and was set to take on the #5-ranked Derek Brunson at UFC Orlando, but instead “The Joker” will take the risk of facing an unranked fighter on short notice.
Hermansson was at one point on a four-fight win streak with three finishes, but since being stopped by Jared Cannonier in 2019 he’s alternated wins and losses in the UFC. “The Joker” started 2022 off with a big opportunity in his second UFC main event but ended up delivering a disappointing performance.
Some of the blame for what turned out to be one of the more uneventful fights of the year is shared with his opponent Sean Strickland, but neither man appeared willing to risk anything in pursuit of a win before Strickland walked away with a split decision.
The reward for that underwhelming loss was a July matchup with Chris Curtis, who quickly put together a 3-0 record in the UFC after joining the promotion in 2021.
“The Action Man” had stopped two of his three UFC opponents with strikes, but Hermansson put on an impressive showing where he largely got the better of Curtis on the feet en route to a clear unanimous decision win.
One notable aspect of the win against Curtis was the fact that Hermansson won without having to take the fight to the mat, as the 34-year-old’s top position and ground and pound have typically been the most dominant aspect of his game.
Any potential ground exchanges could prove to be the most entertaining part of this fight. Dolidze largely relied on his wrestling skills prior to his two most recent performances, and the Georgian also loves to threaten leg locks if he finds himself on his back.
The Stakes
As is often the case with short-notice fights, Dolidze has everything to gain here and very little to lose aside from possibly having his current win streak broken.
The Georgian made good use of his time on the microphone after beating Hawes to call for a fight with any of the UFC’s top middleweights. Even if this opportunity is sooner than expected, a win could take Dolidze from being unranked to possibly vaulting straight into the division’s Top 10.
Dolidze is actually the same age as Hermansson but being a 34-year-old that only joined the UFC in 2020 doesn’t provide a ton of room to rebound from losses if he intends to climb the rankings. This current win streak is a great chance for the Georgian to prove if he can truly hang with the best fighters in the middleweight division.
A loss wouldn’t hurt his overall stock all that much given that he just fought less than a month ago and is taking on one of the division’s top fighters, but it would certainly be frustrating to lose some of the momentum he’s built from his recent results.
Hermansson finds himself in an unenviable position, as the 34-year-old went from having a chance to jump higher in the rankings in a matchup with Brunson to facing an up-and-comer that’s entering the fight having stopped his last two opponents.
This bout is actually similar to Hermansson’s last fight with Curtis in terms of where Dolidze is in his UFC career. Curtis was riding a win streak with a pair of finishes and looking to break into the middleweight rankings, while “The Joker” was coming off that lackluster loss to Strickland and needed a win.
The 34-year-old managed to remind everyone why he’s still a top middleweight with that performance against Curtis, and he’ll have to do that again in this fight with Dolidze.
Hermansson doesn’t need to necessarily finish the Georgian, but he will need to put on the kind of comprehensive showing he had against “The Action Man” to try and prove that Dolidze isn’t on his level. As much as a back-and-forth fight would appeal more to the fans, that kind of result would reflect much better on Dolidze even in a losing effort than it would on “The Joker.”
A victory for Hermansson would put him on his first winning streak since 2019, and the 34-year-old could either wait to rebook the fight with Brunson or potentially meet the winner of next week’s middleweight tilt between Darren Till and Dricus Du Plessis.
There could definitely end up being some interesting scrambles in this fight, but it’s status as a Sleeper Scrap rests largely in the narrative of Dolidze trying to break into the top tier of the division on short notice and Hermansson looking to hold his own ranking against the up-and-comer.
How do you think this bout between Hermansson and Dolidze will turn out? Are there any other fights from UFC Orlando that you feel deserve more attention?
Click here to view the article.
