High Stakes for Roman Dolidze: What’s on the Line This Saturday?

On August 10, MMA fans are in for an intense middleweight showdown at the UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. The event will be headlined by Georgian contender Roman Dolidze taking on the dangerous Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez in a clash that promises action from start to finish.

While the overall fight card may not be stacked with blockbuster names for casual viewers, the main event is a must-watch—especially for fans of Georgian MMA. Both fighters bring contrasting styles, and their meeting could shake up the UFC middleweight rankings.

What’s at Stake?

Let’s be honest—neither Dolidze nor Hernandez will get a direct title shot with a win on Saturday. The middleweight division is currently one of the most competitive in the UFC, stacked with high-level fighters like Caio Borralho and Nassourdine Imavov, who will face each other in September, or Reinier de Ridder, fresh off a win over former champion Robert Whittaker.

In just two weeks, reigning champion Dricus du Plessis will defend his belt for the third time against Khamzat Chimaev—a fight that could be the most anticipated matchup of the summer.

But in today’s UFC, where title opportunities often depend on timing and fighter readiness, staying active and keeping a top-tier position is crucial. That’s exactly what’s on the line for #9 ranked Dolidze and #10 ranked Hernandez.

The winner will likely earn a shot against a former champion or a big-name contender, setting up a clear path toward the top five. The loser, however, could see their title aspirations fade in the crowded middleweight mix for a long time.

For 37-Year-Old Roman Dolidze, the Stakes Are Higher Than Ever

When it comes to career implications, the pressure on 37-year-old Roman Dolidze is far greater than on 31-year-old Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez, who is only beginning his climb toward the UFC middleweight title. Let’s take a closer look at the man known as “Fluffy” and why he’s such a dangerous opponent.

Who Is Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez?

Anthony Hernandez joined the UFC in 2019 after winning the middleweight title in the LFA and earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. Before turning professional, Hernandez had eight amateur bouts, winning seven of them. By the time he made his UFC debut, the Californian was an undefeated prospect with six straight pro victories.

However, the competition level immediately increased, and Hernandez went 1–2 in his first three UFC fights. Despite the slow start, he quickly improved his skill set. Since his 2019 loss to Kevin Holland, Hernandez hasn’t lost a single fight. His current seven-fight win streak includes three standout performances:

• A submission win over Roman Kopylov
• A dominant decision victory against Brendan Allen
• And perhaps most impressively, a complete dismantling of Michel Pereira, ending in a fifth-round TKO after a relentless pace

The Brendan Allen Fight – A Different Context

Although Hernandez’s decision win over Allen came after the Pereira fight, it’s not the best example of his style. In that matchup, Hernandez entered with broken ribs and had just finished a course of antibiotics mere hours before the official weigh-in. Naturally, that impacted his performance—but even under those conditions, he managed to win two out of three rounds on all judges’ scorecards.

Why the Pereira Fight Defines “Fluffy”

If you want to understand Hernandez’s true fighting style, the Pereira bout is the perfect showcase. That fight earned him a comparison to another relentless fighter—“The Middleweight Merab Dvalishvili.”

Of course, no one can truly match Merab Dvalishvili’s unique abilities, but Hernandez’s performance created a similar feeling among fans. In that fight, he set multiple middleweight division records, including:

• Most ground strikes landed in a fight: 97
• Largest significant strike differential: +128
• Most takedown attempts in a middleweight fight: 29

For the division, these numbers were almost unheard of. Hernandez’s dominant showing not only impressed fans but also made analysts take notice of his relentless, high-pressure style.

Hernandez’s Style and Strengths

Anthony Hernandez is a dynamic fighter with well-rounded skills, exceptional cardio, and a preference for constant activity inside the octagon. He thrives on pressure, often pushing forward for all five rounds without giving his opponents a moment to breathe. Confident in his endurance, Hernandez doesn’t rush to set a breakneck pace in the opening seconds. Instead, he studies his opponent’s movements before ramping up the pressure and launching sustained attacks.

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Meta Description: Learn more about Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez ahead of his UFC Fight Night clash with Roman Dolidze. Discover his fight style, strengths, and why his relentless pace makes him one of the most dangerous middleweights in the UFC.

Fighting Style Breakdown: Elbows, Kicks, and Relentless Pressure

Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez thrives in multiple phases of combat—standing, clinching, and grappling. In striking exchanges, his preferred weapons include elbows and leg kicks in the pocket, clinch work against the cage, and close-range dirty boxing that focuses on effectiveness over aesthetics. His striking style prioritizes volume over power—Hernandez doesn’t look for a one-punch knockout; instead, he drowns opponents under a relentless stream of strikes until they break.

On the ground, Hernandez’s true strength emerges. His wrestling chains together takedowns with a clear goal: secure a dominant position and establish control. Once he achieves that, he wastes no time launching offense—elbows, ground-and-pound, choke attempts, and joint locks.

What frustrates his opponents most isn’t any single move, but the constant level changes: striking combinations lead to clinch entries, which lead to takedown attempts—and then the cycle repeats, round after round.

How Does “Fluffy” Match Up with Roman Dolidze?

From a cardio perspective, Hernandez likely holds an advantage over most fighters in the UFC middleweight division—especially those who can’t answer his forward pressure. Cardio and endurance are much easier to control when a fight unfolds at your pace, so for Roman Dolidze, it will be critical to disrupt Hernandez’s early rhythm and deny him the ability to dictate the tempo.

In pure striking exchanges, power favors Dolidze, while speed and output favor Hernandez. Clinch fighting could be a fascinating battleground, since “Fluffy” often initiates it, but Dolidze is also dangerous there.

Another key factor is physicality. In his fight against Michel Pereira, Hernandez visibly struggled with Pereira’s athleticism and strength—both in the clinch and during ground scrambles. Similar vulnerabilities showed in the Brendan Allen fight, although Allen couldn’t fully capitalize.

From a size standpoint, Hernandez is not one of the larger middleweights. This could benefit Dolidze, who has competed at light heavyweight and is accustomed to stronger opponents. Dolidze also boasts some of the most creative, high-level grappling in the division, meaning that if the fight hits the mat, his strength and technique could play a decisive role. This makes the matchup especially intriguing, dynamic, and potentially chaotic.

The Finish Factor

One more thing to note—Hernandez has won nearly all his fights by finish, while Dolidze has never been finished in his career. All three of the Georgian’s losses came via judges’ decision, typically against opponents who maintained higher activity and denied him space to breathe. That’s exactly the kind of game Hernandez brings.

Given Hernandez’s style and seemingly endless cardio, there’s a real chance his team is banking on overwhelming Dolidze with pace, forcing the judges to see the fight in his favor.

Can Dolidze Finish Hernandez?

While it’s statistically unlikely that Anthony Hernandez will finish Roman Dolidze—given that the Georgian has never been stopped—the opposite scenario is much more realistic. Both of Hernandez’s professional losses came by finish: one via submission and one via technical knockout. That’s an important factor when assessing each fighter’s potential path to victory.

Why the UFC Made This Matchup

It’s clear that the UFC booked this fight with a specific purpose—to test a young, dynamic, and promising contender against an experienced and dangerous veteran. Many analysts consider Hernandez one of the most intriguing rising threats in the UFC middleweight division, and the bookmakers agree, installing “Fluffy” as the favorite.

Still, there’s no denying the stakes. While neither fighter will earn a title shot directly from this win, for Roman Dolidze, the bout is far more critical to his championship aspirations than it is for Hernandez. At 37, Dolidze doesn’t have time to rebuild his way back up the rankings after a loss. He’s well aware of that fact and has emphasized in interviews that there’s no time to waste.

This Sunday in Las Vegas at the UFC APEX, we won’t just see a fascinating clash of styles—we’ll see a fight where both men fully understand what’s on the line. And as MMA fans know, bouts with that kind of urgency are often the ones that live long in memory.