But Vettori isn’t the type of guy to back down from a challenge.
“It didn’t take too long for my mind to change. At the end of the day, somebody challenges you and I’m not the type of guy who shies away from it. If he wants to do it, let’s do it,” Vettori said. “Because of the training we got together I thought he would have been a bit smarter. But then again, training is not like fighting and I’m the first to say that.
“I’ll shut him off in so many ways that he won’t be able to express himself. It’s going to be one of those fights where after, he’ll say, ‘I didn’t feel like myself’ or ‘I was off.’ I think that’s the proof of facing a superior fighter. I won’t let him bring the best out of himself.”
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Vettori knows Dolidze is a tough opponent, and he isn’t overlooking him. He’s been impressed with Dolidze’s work, especially in the jiu jitsu department.
“He’s a sniper. I’m not underestimating him at all. He was getting pieced up by Jack Hermansson but Hermansson fell into being too arrogant, in a sense, especially with his top game. This guy has some jiu jitsu, for sure, and off his back, for sure,” Vettori said. “If you think he’s just like any other fighter on his back, you’re making a big mistake, I think. If he gets a position where he wants to be, he fights like he’s fighting for his life. That’s how you fight when you catch a position you like to be in.”