Preview: UFC on ESPN 21 Prelims

Middleweights

NR | Roman Dolidze (8-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. NR | Trevin Giles (13-2, 4-2 UFC)

ODDS: Dolidze (-140), Giles (+120)

This marks Dolidze’s drop down to middleweight, and it will be interesting to see how the Georgian prospect fares. Dolidze is an odd fighter, as he pairs obvious skill and athleticism with an approach that really should not work. Left to his own devices, Dolidze can spend large swaths of time posturing and taunting his opponents before going for a low-percentage tactic, such as a spinning strike or a leg lock. While his style may be formless, Dolidze’s confidence and durability make it work. He obliterated Khadis Ibragimov with a knee strike in his UFC debut and outworked John Allan in his sophomore effort. His first middleweight appearance will come against Giles, who also may be a bit overconfident in his abilities, though he has suffered consequences that Dolidze has yet to experience. Giles can do a little bit of everything, setting a pace with knockout power and some solid wrestling. However, “The Problem” often makes the situation harder than it needs to be, thanks to a combination of poor defense and decision making. Giles chose to constantly try and wrestle Gerald Meerschaert until he inevitably got himself tapped out, and his fights typically have one or two moments where he gets clipped at a time that he obviously did not expect. Giles is probably the likelier fighter to win rounds, but his lack of regard for his opponent’s offense and Dolidze's unorthodox finishing ability line up too well to favor him. The pick is Dolidze via second-round submission.

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