Roman Dolidze slams Robert Whittaker for dismissing his post-UFC Vegas 104 callout, brings up ex-champ's recent losses

Roman Dolidze made a statement at UFC Vegas 104, securing a unanimous decision win over Marvin Vettori. Following the victory, he called out former champions Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker, but the latter quickly dismissed the challenge.

Whittaker, speaking on the MMArcade Podcast, brushed off Dolidze’s callout, saying he was looking for a top-five opponent and saw no benefit in the matchup:

“I’m trying to fight a top-five guy, dude. Join the queue... it was just like the exact same as their first fight. They’re still at the same pub. They’re just like, ‘Ah, it’s you.’ And then they just started punching on again. It’s the exact same thing. I reckon they should run it back to break the trilogy, to get some proper closure on whatever reason they’re having a brawl.”

Dolidze didn’t take Whittaker’s response lightly. Speaking to Home of Fight, he fired back, questioning the former champion’s recent performances:

“This is a talking guy who got knocked out a couple of times and got destroyed in his last fight. It’s funny to me to listen to a guy like that. Yes, I will always respect my opponents and fighters. He’s a great fighter and was a great champion, but listen, he’s speaking too loudly. You have to prove that you’re so tough...Me and Vettori are two guys who have never been stopped before… so it’s just funny to me.”

Check out Roman Dolidze's comments below:

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Roman Dolidze is more excited for a fight with Israel Adesanya

With Robert Whittaker seemingly uninterested in a bout, Roman Dolidze sees Israel Adesanya as a more exciting challenge, despite the former champion’s recent setbacks.

Acknowledging Adesanya’s dominance in the division, Dolidze said:

“[Adesanya] was more dominant at 185 [pounds]. He was beating everybody, including Whittaker. He’s a great fighter. No matter what stage in his career he is now, but we need to respect what he have done. And I like this matchup much more than Whittaker. But let’s see what UFC have prepared for me. And as always, I am always ready for anything and anybody, just give me the name.”

Check out Roman Dolidze's comments below (14:25):