UFC Fight Night: Roman Dolidze vs Christian Leroy Duncan Preview & Prediction
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A middleweight main card bout could have major ranking implications, as surging contender Christian Leroy Duncan looks to crack the top 15 by taking down the number 11 ranked Roman Dolidze
Roman Dolidze vs Christian Leroy Duncan facts
What time are Roman Dolidze and Christian Leroy Duncan expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs Murphy? O2 Arena, London, England
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs Murphy? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 270
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs Murphy on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs Murphy? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs Murphy main card
Movsar Evloev vs Lerone Murphy (Featherweight)
Luke Riley vs Michael Aswell (Featherweight)
Michael Page vs Sam Patterson (Welterweight)
Iwo Baraniewski vs Austen Lane (Light Heavyweight)
Roman Dolidze vs Christian Leroy Duncan (Middleweight)
Kurtis Campbell vs Danny Silva (Featherweight)
UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs Murphy prelims
Mason Jones vs Axel Sola (Lightweight)
Nathaniel Wood vs Losene Keita (Featherweight)
Mario Pinto vs Felipe Franco (Heavyweight)
Mantas Kondratavicius vs Antonio Trocoli (Middleweight)
Louie Sutherland vs Brando Pericic (Heavyweight)
Shaqueme Rock vs Abdul Kareem Al Selwady (Lightweight)
Shanelle Dyer vs Ravena Oliveira (Women’s Strawweight)
Melissa Mullins vs Luana Carolina (Women’s Bantamweight)
Roman Dolidze: Ranked veteran looking to bounce back after a dominant loss
Roman Dolidze (15-4) currently sits at number 11 in the middleweight rankings but enters UFC London off the worst performance of his career - a dominant fourth-round submission loss to Anthony Hernandez at UFC Vegas 109. The 37-year-old Georgian had previously strung together three consecutive wins over Marvin Vettori, Kevin Holland, and Anthony Smith, though consistency hasn't been his strong suit, going 3-3 over his last six. Dolidze is a skilled grappler with a strong clinch game against the fence, and he carries deceptive power on the feet. However, his striking is basic at range, he throws wild and sloppy counters against superior strikers and doesn't do much against leg kicks. In recent history, he's only lost to the top-ranked fighters in the division.
Christian Leroy Duncan: Dynamic British striker riding a wave of momentum
Christian Leroy Duncan (CLD) (13-2) is one of the most exciting rising middleweights in the UFC right now. The 30-year-old from Gloucester is on a three-fight win streak with back-to-back Performance of the Night bonuses, finishing Eryk Anders with a spinning elbow before delivering another spectacular finish sending Marco Tulio face first into the canvas. The former Cage Warriors champion is an incredibly athletic fighter for his size with dynamic striking, mixing spinning attacks, elbows, and shoulder strikes in the clinch. His elbow work up close, particularly against the fence, is a real weapon. CLD's only UFC losses came to Armen Petrosyan and Gregory Rodrigues earlier in his career, and he looks a different fighter to the one who suffered those setbacks.
Roman Dolidze vs Christian Leroy Duncan prediction
This matchup boils down to how Duncan turns up on the night. If he's sharp, this is clearly a setup fight designed to boost him up the rankings. If he's overwhelmed by the moment and hesitates, he gives Dolidze the chance to drag this into the clinch and grind him out.
On the feet, CLD holds a significant advantage. Dolidze's striking is basic at range, and against superior strikers like Imavov, his counters become wild and lack clear intention - he just swings and hopes. Imavov caught him with a straight that put him down, and Duncan carries the kind of power and dynamism to do the same. However, Duncan will have to be careful throwing his spinning attacks, as they give Dolidze an easy opportunity to close distance and clinch up into his preferred game.
Dolidze's path to victory runs through the clinch and the ground. His fence work is tiring and he'll look to use it to wear CLD down in the later rounds. However, Duncan showed a decent get-up game against Tulio, and his shoulder strikes and elbows in the clinch can punish Dolidze for holding position without being active. The key is that CLD avoids initiating clinches or takedowns himself, as taking Dolidze down could spell disaster.
If CLD stays disciplined, keeps this on the feet, and uses his athleticism and striking variety to outwork the ageing Georgian, he should take this comfortably. The O2 crowd will be firmly behind him.
Prediction: Christian Leroy Duncan to win
