Kicking off Saturday’s UFC Austin preliminary card was a middleweight scrap that saw Georgian Roman Dolidze taking on Kyle Daukaus.
Both men entered the fight looking to build off single wins, with Dolidze having defeated Laureano Staropoli. Daukaus, for his part, submitted Jamie Pickett earlier this year.
Just seconds into Saturday’s card-opener, an accidental clash of heads stopped the action. The break didn’t last long, and off the restart, Dolidze hurt Daukaus with a left/right combo; Daukaus went down momentarily with Dolidze on him. While he would make it back to his feet, Daukaus wouldn’t be in it for long.
Moments later, Dolidize got a knee up, crashing into the forehead of Daukaus while the pair were tied up along the fence. Daukaus went down again, and this time, there was no getting back up. Dolidze piled on with follow up strikes until the ref pulled him off.
FIRST ROUND KO to start the night! 🤯💥 #UFCAustin pic.twitter.com/oMG5yeNNd6
— UFC (@ufc) June 18, 2022
The win was a long time coming for Roman Dolidze, as the pair were originally booked to face off in October of last year. In the end, it turned out to be worth the wait, with a first round finish and now two straight wins for the Georgian.
“I want everybody to know: I can knock out people!” Dolidze exclaimed during his post-fight interview, before asking UFC President Dana White to award him a post-fight bonus.
Official Result: Roman Dolidze def. Kyle Daukaus by TKO (knee and punches), Round 1, 1:13
