UFC fighter Roman Dolidze criticizes his fellow contenders for acting immaturely and seeking attention through excessive talk, stating that he prefers to let his performance speak for itself.
Let’s talk about Roman Dolidze. He’s been observing a pattern among his UFC peers.
“All these guys, or most of them, they’re acting like kids,” Dolidze shared at UFC Vegas 85 media day. “Talking a lot, like kids.” He comes from a place where words carry weight.
Dolidze believes in thinking twice before speaking. “If you just say so many words, nobody will value them,” he said. To him, most of his fellow contenders are just kids.
His comments follow months of ugly exchanges around UFC pay-per-views. Remember Colby Covington and UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards at UFC 296? Or Sean Strickland’s middleweight title defense against now-champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297? Both situations added fuel to the fire of toxicity within the MMA community.
Dolidze, 35, is set to return this Saturday against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Vegas 85. He can’t relate to his peers’ behavior.
“When you see how they’re talking to each other, I’m very respectful,” Dolidze said. But he’s noticed that some fighters will say anything for attention.
“And sometimes, when I see them, if I didn’t like something they said before, I confront them,” he added. “Why were you talking like that? What’s wrong?” Some of them don’t even remember their words or dismiss them as mere promotion.
Dolidze has won four of his past five bouts. He’s been out of action since his winning streak ended at the hands of Marvin Vettori last March. The UFC’s middleweight division has seen a lot of changes since then, with the belt changing hands three times.
Despite setbacks due to injury or bad luck, Dolidze remains within striking distance of the title conversation. A win over Imavov could put him back in the mix. But Dolidze prefers to let his performance speak for him.
“What do you want me to say? Big words and to say, ‘Yes, it’s No. 1 contender fight?’ No, I’m not that guy,” Dolidze said. He believes a top-five opponent could be on the horizon after this fight. “And then, let’s see what will happen. No one knows.”