UFC 307 results: Roman Dolidze wins after Kevin Holland suffers painful rib injury in the first round

Roman Dolidze didn't get the satisfying win he wanted after Kevin Holland suffered a rib injury in the opening round that ultimately ended the fight at UFC 307.

After an early takedown, Holland tried to escape with a submission, but as he rolled through he screamed in pain, but the fight continued. Only after returning to his corner did Holland announce that he had suffered a rib injury that was causing him extreme pain.

Before he could possibly injure himself further, the Dutch trainers called for the fight to be stopped and Dolidze secured the victory. The official finish time was 5:00 a.m. at the end of the first round. Dolidze then turned his attention to two of the top middleweights about to meet at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.

“I think I’m at the top of my class,” Dolidze said. “In the next fight I want to see (Robert) Whittaker or Khamzat (Chimaev), they are both incredible fighters, winner or loser. Because I would like both.”

Before the break, Holland showed good range and speed when attacking from outside, but Dolidze was just waiting for the right time to attack. On the ground, Dolidze was content to stay in control and throw punches to the head and body.

In an attempt to escape, Holland looked for an armbar from below, but as he rolled into submission he grunted in pain and Dolidze ended up in mount. Dolidze began inflicting penalties, with Holland blocking many of the biggest shots until the round came to a close.

When he got back to his feet, Holland pointed to his ribs and told his trainers that he had suffered an injury that was clearly causing him a lot of pain.

Replays showed that Holland twisted during the submission attempt and that's when the injury occurred. Holland was clearly dealing with a lot of pain in his corner and his trainers called for the fight to be stopped rather than risk further damage.

With the win, Dolidze has now rattled off two straight victories as Holland falls to 1-3 in his last four outings at both middleweight and welterweight.