Roman Dolidze had one of the most impressive wins in the UFC, against a ranked opponent in Jack Hermansson at UFC on ESPN 42. After accepting the fight on very short notice the Georgian fighter earned a “Performance of the Night bonus for finishing his opponent with strikes from behind while immobilizing him with a bear trap calf slicer.
Roman Dolidze’s Fight-Winning Bear Trap Control
Despite taking the fight on pretty short notice (a couple of weeks), Dolidze never doubts his mental preparation, as he claimed he is always ready to fight an enjoys sparring very much, in a post-fight interview with MMA Underground.
What he was worried though, was his body, as he was quite heavy at the time, and had to cut weight drastically to get to middleweight. He was also aware that his opponent, Jack Hermansson is not only a great striker and ranked in the standings, but has outstanding cardio. Naturally, Roman Dolidze did not want to get tired.
Despite his worries, Roman felt he was never in danger in the fight, despite Harmansson landing some strikes and managing a few takedowns.
It was one of these takedowns, in fact, that led to the crazy, never-before-seen bear trap calf slicer finish.
As Hermansson blasted a perfect double he landed in Dolidze’s guard which is full of traps, including a bear trap calf slicer. The Gregorian went for an armbar, which h changed to K-guard and a slick inverted triangle, before ending up in an Ashi Garami, which he very cunningly used to get the inside bear trap position.
Roman Dolidze then used an underhook to get up on top, getting to the back mount, as commentators hailed his genius in using a near submission from the bear trap calf slicer to completely immobilize Hermansson, before delivering an array of punches that his opponent couldn’t defend, which led to a unique TKO victory.
Wow! Back control with a calf slicer! That is one hell of a position. Congrats Roman Dolidze! #UFCOrlando #ufc pic.twitter.com/y6HenxpB4t
— Josh Dill (@joshjdill) December 4, 2022
Roman is comfortable with people calling him “just a grappler” as he got his second win in a row via submission. He sees himself as unpredictable and has a very versatile game, constantly switching between changing submissions and striking.
According to Roman, he wasn’t planning to grapple Jack Hermanson at all. But since there was no way t predict what the opponent is going to do, he went along with it.
After accepting his third fight in 5 months, and winning in such a spectacular fashion, Roman then called out Khamzat Chimaev, claiming he wants to fight anyone, especially the best guys, and doesn’t want any easy fights.
The Bear Trap Calf Slicer
The bear trap calf slicer is a great move to use when Ashi Garami positions are on the verge of failing. It is an old catch-wrestling move, that some people in BJJ have improved and taken to new heights.
As the leg slides out of Ashi Garami and you lose the knee line, one leg goes shin behind the knee to trap the opponent in a last-ditch position of control. the legs then lock up a triangle, either between the opponent’s legs (inside bear trap) or on the outside of one leg (outside bear trap).
The person setting it up is usually on the bottom, and apart from leg locking positions, you can set up the bear trap calf slicer from half guard as well. The position itself is a submission, as it takes little pressure to finish a devastating calf slicer, or use it to torture someone like Roman Dolidze did.
The bear trap calf slicer can be set up aginst a turtle opponent as well.
