Marvin Vettori’s return is set.
Italy’s Vettori will step back into the UFC cage on March 15th, rematching Roman Dolidze in a five-round middleweight main event from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. News of the matchup was first reported by MagicM MMA Bets, and later also confirmed by MMA Fighting.
Vettori—who has been out of action for more than a year—will step into the cage with the hopes of getting back into the win column.
The former middleweight title challenger’s last appearance saw him lose in a five-round matchup against Jared Cannonier, showing his toughness but ultimately giving away numerous rounds of the fight in the process.
A return to the cage was initially set for April of last year against Brendan Allen but was delayed after Vettori withdrew due to what he called a “freak accident” injury. Vettori’s injury kept him on the sidelines for quite some time, with a social media post in May of 2024 noting that he had remained injured 10 weeks after the incident which pulled him from a fight against Allen.
He now comes back still ranked seventh in the division with hopes of providing a strong sequel to his three-round scorecard victory against Roman Dolize from UFC 286.
Dolidze has gained some momentum in recent months, stringing together wins over veterans Anthony Smith and Kevin Holland to stay within the 185-pound division’s top 10. The upcoming fight gives him a second opportunity to earn his first UFC main event win, returning after an early 2024 majority decision loss to Nassourdine Imavov in his first five-round booking.
Here’s an updated look at UFC’s March 15th “Fight Night” lineup, which is still a work in progress:
Bout 7: Marvin Vettori (19-6-1) vs. Roman Dolidze (14-3) (Middleweight)
Bout 6: Waldo Cortes-Acosta (12-1) vs. Ryan Spann (22-10) (Heavyweight)
Bout 5: Andre Lima (10-0) vs. Daniel Barez (17-6) (Flyweight)
Bout 4: Yuneisy Duben (6-0) vs. Carli Judice (3-2) (Flyweight)
Bout 3: Diyar Nurgozhay (10-0) vs. Brendson Ribeiro (16-7) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 2: Da’Mon Blackshear (15-7-1) vs. Cody Gibson (21-10) (Bantamweight)
Bout 1: Alexander Hernandez (15-8) vs. Kurt Holobaugh (21-8) (Lightweight)
Knockdown News 