UFC Orlando has gotten a major change as Derek Brunson vs. Jack Hermansson is no longer happening.
Brunson and Hermansson were set to fight in the co-main event of the card which was also set to serve as a pivotal middleweight bout. Yet, on Tuesday, ESPN reported that Brunson suffered an undisclosed injury that forced him to withdraw, but Roman Dolidze has agreed to step up on short notice to face Hermansson at UFC Orlando on December 3.
Jack Hermansson (23-7) returned to the win column last time out as he beat Chris Curtis by decision at UFC London. However, Hermansson has had a ton of bad luck due to opponents pulling out as he was supposed to face Darren Till. Since 2020, Hermansson has had five fights canceled which included fights against Kevin Holland, Chris Weidman, Edmen Shabazyan, and Till, twice.
Prior to the win over Curtis, Hermansson suffered a main event decision loss to Sean Strickland after defeating Shahbazyan after they got rebooked. He’s currently ranked eighth at middleweight and holds notable wins over Kelvin Gastelum, Jacare Souza, David Branch, and Gerald Meerschaert among others.
Roman Dolidze (11-1) is 5-1 in the UFC and riding a three-fight win streak. Last time out, he scored a first-round KO win over Phil Hawes. Also on the win streak, he beat Kyle Daukaus by first-round TKO and Laureno Staropoli by decision. His other wins in the UFC came over John Allan by split decision and Khadis Ibragimov by first-round TKO. Dolidze’s lone loss was to Trevin Giles by decision. Dolidze, as well, is ranked and gets a shot at a top-10 opponent at UFC Orlando.
With the addition of Hermansson vs. Dolidze, UFC Orlando is as follows:
- Stephen Thompson vs. Kevin Holland
- Rafael dos Anjos vs. Bryan Barberena
- Roman Dolidze vs. Jack Hermansson
- Matheus Nicolau vs. Matt Schnell
- Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tai Tuivasa
- Niko Price vs. Phil Rowe
- Natan Levy vs. Genaro Valdez
- Francis Marshall vs. Marcelo Rojo
- Tracy Cortez vs. Amanda Ribas
- Darren Elkins vs. Jonathan Pearce
- Eryk Anders vs. Kyle Daukaus
- Marc Diakiese vs. Michael Johnson
- Clay Guida vs. Scott Holtzman
- Emily Ducote vs. Angela Hill
- Yazmin Jauregui vs. Istela Nunes
Who do you think will win, Jack Hermansson or Roman Dolidze?