A showdown of middleweight prospects looking to surge into title contention will headline the UFC Fight Night card on Saturday as Nassourdine Imavov meets Roman Dolidze in the main event. Their five-round showdown tops the main UFC fight card starting at 7 p.m. ET from the promotion's Apex facility in Las Vegas. Both fighters have been heralded as among the division's most promising prospects, but to date neither has a signature victory that would warrant a top-five ranking. The No. 11-ranked Imavov came up short in his headlining debut, while the No. 8-ranked Dolidze, who will anchor a main event for the first time, is looking to bounce back from a loss to recent title contender Marvin Vettori.
Imavov is a -170 favorite (risk $170 to win $100), while Dolidze is priced at +150 in the latest UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov odds. In the co-main event, Renato Moicano (-150) takes on Drew Dober (+125) in a battle of lightweight sluggers. Before locking in your picks for UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov, make sure you see the MMA picks and betting advice from SportsLine expert Daniel Vithlani.
From breaking down film and following fighters and their camps closely, to tracking sharp action and betting market signals, Vithlani covers the breadth of the MMA betting landscape top to bottom. He also trains amateur boxers and speaks regularly with MMA fighters to understand the sport's nuances.
Vithlani made his SportsLine debut last January of last year and swept the main card for UFC 283 with a 5-0 record and has been a consistent winner ever since. At UFC 292 in August, he predicted the upset for underdog Sean O'Malley (+210) against Aljamain Sterling (-250) in the bantamweight championship main event. Anyone who has followed Vithlani already has seen massive returns.
Now, with UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov on deck, Vithlani has studied the card from top to bottom and released his top selections. You can see those picks at SportsLine.
UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov preview
This main event matchup essentially serves as an eliminator between ranked fighters who were at one time considered among the division's most promising prospects, but both have dealt with some adversity of late.
Imavov (12-4-1), 28, started training in boxing at a young age before eventually transitioning to MMA. He lost his professional debut in February 2016 before finding some success in various promotions. The 28-year-old Russian fighter was signed to the UFC shortly after he defeated former UFC fighter Jonathan Meunier for the Ares FC 1 championship in December 2019.
The versatile Russian fighter won four of his first five UFC outings to crack the top-15 rankings but struggled in his first venture against upper-tier competition. In an apparent attempt to fast-track the prospect, the UFC gave Imavov a five-round main event against Sean Strickland in January of last year. Strickland dominated in a unanimous decision and went on to win the UFC middleweight championship.
Imavov fought Strickland's best friend and teammate, Chris Curtis, in his following bout and the fight was declared a no-contest due to a clash of heads in the second round of their June fight.
Dolidze (12-2) is a former champion in the World Warriors Fighting Championships who caught the attention of UFC brass on the strength of finishes in each of his first six professional fights, with five stoppages coming inside of two rounds.
The 35-year-old Russian won six of his first seven UFC fights and had a stretch that included three consecutive performance bonuses. However, his momentum came to a halt with a disputed decision loss against Vettori in March of last year. You can only see who to pick at UFC Fight Night here.
UFC Fight Night predictions
We'll share one of Vithlani's UFC Fight Night selections here: He is siding with Aliaskhab Khizriev (-165) to earn the nod against Makhmud Muradov (+140) in a pairing of middleweight prospects on the main card.
Khizriev (12-0) is widely considered a top-tier prospect who uses a speed wrestling base to set up devastating strikes and submissions. The 33-year-old Russian is a "Dana White's Contender Series" alum who made his official debut with the promotion in March 2022. He notched a second-round submission over veteran Denis Tiuliulin.
Muradov (26-8) is a power puncher and former XFN promotion champion who has recorded 17 knockouts among his 26 professional MMA victories. The 33-year-old Czech fighter is a five-year UFC veteran who rebounded from back-to-back losses with a decision win over veteran brawler Bryan Barberena last July.
"Khizriev can soften his opponents up with ground-and-pound or look to jump a rear-naked choke. He should be looking to take this fight to the mat right away, as he takes on a pure boxer in Muradov," Vithlani told SportsLine. See who to back here.
How to make UFC Fight Night picks
Vithlani has strong picks for Dolidze vs. Imavov and other bouts on the UFC Fight Night card. He's also backing a fighter who "is known for his lethal grappling" to emerge with a dominant victory. Those picks are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov, and how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on UFC Fight Night, all from the MMA expert who profited more than $6,200 in 2022, and find out.
UFC Fight Night odds, fight card
See full UFC Fight Night picks, predictions, best bets here.
Nassourdine Imavov (-170) vs. Roman Dolidze (+150)
Renato Moicano (-150) vs. Drew Dober (+125)
Randy Brown (-250) vs. Muslim Salikhov (+190)
Viviane Araujo (+270) vs. Natalia Silva (-340)
Aliaskhab Khizriev (-165) vs. Makhmud Muradov (+140)
Gilbert Urbina (-205) vs. Charles Radtke (+170)
Molly McCann (-260) vs. Diana Belbita (+200)
Themba Gorimbo (-250) vs. Pete Rodriguez (+205)
Luana Carolina (+110) vs. Julija Stoliarenko (-130)
Thomas Peterson (-165) vs. Jamal Pogues (+140)
