Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze in the works for UFC 286 in London

A pivotal middleweight bout between Marvin Vettori and surging contender Roman Dolidze is targeted for the UFC’s return to the U.K.

Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that a fight between Vettori and Dolidze is being finalized for UFC 286, which takes place March 18 at the O2 Arena in London. UFC broadcast partner ESPN was first to report the agreed upon matchup.

Vettori will look to get back on track after dropping a unanimous decision to Robert Whittaker at UFC Paris in September. The No. 4 ranked middleweight in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings has dropped two of his last three, bout including a decision loss to then-champ Israel Adesanya at UFC 263 in June 2021. His lone victory over that stretch came over Paulo Costa in the main event of UFC Vegas 41.

Dolidze had a breakout 2022 campaign with finishes of Kyle Daukaus, Phil Hawes, and most recently at UFC Orlando earlier this month, Jack Hermansson. With four straight victories under his belt, Dolidze entered the MMA Fighting Global Rankings for the first time this month at No. 15.

Damon Martin contributed to this report.