Roman Kopylov

Kopylov steadied himself at UFC 328 by taking a unanimous decision over Marco Tulio across three rounds in Newark. The result mattered because it stopped a two-fight slide and kept him relevant in the crowded middleweight tier instead of letting 2025's setbacks define the next phase of his run.

Key moments

• Beat Marco Tulio by unanimous decision after three rounds.
• Snapped a two-fight losing streak dating back to the Paulo Costa bout.
• Moved his professional record to 15-5 with the win.

Rodrigues outpointed Kopylov over three rounds at UFC 322 and denied him the type of striking rhythm that usually turns into body-shot momentum. The defeat followed the Costa loss and left Kopylov needing a rebound rather than building on the Chris Curtis finish.

Key moments

• Dropped a unanimous decision over three rounds.
• The loss made it back-to-back defeats for the first time since 2021.
• It halted the rankings push that followed the Chris Curtis knockout.

Costa beat Kopylov by unanimous decision in New Orleans after controlling a three-round stand-up fight with steadier pressure and body work. For Kopylov the result was significant because it ended a two-fight winning streak and showed that his recent surge still needed one more step against established middleweights.

Key moments

• Lost a unanimous decision to Paulo Costa at UFC 318.
• The bout stopped Kopylov's two-fight winning streak.
• It was his first appearance against a former UFC title challenger.

Kopylov produced one of the sharpest finishes of his UFC run when he knocked out Chris Curtis with a head kick in the final second of round three. The finish earned Fight of the Night and reminded everyone how dangerous his kicking game becomes once a close fight reaches late, tired exchanges.

Key moments

• Stopped Chris Curtis with one second left in round three.
• Earned a Fight of the Night bonus for the performance.
• Moved to 14-3 as a professional with the knockout.

Kopylov edged César Almeida by split decision in Newark and showed he could survive a competitive kickboxing match without needing a finish. The win mattered because it got him moving again after the Hernandez loss and added a different kind of UFC result to a résumé that had leaned heavily on stoppages.

Key moments

• Beat César Almeida by split decision after three rounds.
• Returned to the win column after the Anthony Hernandez defeat.
• Logged his first UFC decision victory.

Kopylov started well against Anthony Hernandez, especially with the body kicks, but the matchup swung once Hernandez turned the fight into a pressure-and-grappling battle. Kopylov defended early takedowns, yet Hernandez's persistence eventually forced a scramble that led to the rear-naked choke in round two.

Key moments

• Kopylov landed clean southpaw body kicks early and made Hernandez fight through damage to close distance.
• Hernandez kept pressing anyway, chaining fence work and repeated wrestling attempts rather than backing off.
• An awkward fall under pressure in round two gave Hernandez the back position he had been hunting.
• The rear-naked choke finish came at 3:23 of round two and snapped Kopylov's four-fight knockout streak.

Kopylov kept building his reputation as a body-shot finisher when he stopped Josh Fremd late in the second round at Noche UFC. It was the kind of measured striking performance he does well: patient early, then increasingly punishing once the kicks and straight left start taking away an opponent's base.

Key moments

• The fight took place on the Noche UFC card in Las Vegas.
• Kopylov gradually built the offense rather than forcing the finish from the opening exchanges.
• The stoppage came with a punch to the body at 4:44 of round two.
• It extended his UFC winning streak to three, all by stoppage.

Kopylov survived a wild first round against Claudio Ribeiro and then ended the fight almost immediately in the second with a head kick. The finish mattered because it showed he could win a dangerous firefight without abandoning the layered kicking game that makes him hard to read.

Key moments

• The first round turned chaotic, with both men having dangerous moments before the reset between rounds.
• Round two started more cautiously until Kopylov suddenly fired off a feinted setup into the finish.
• The head kick knockout landed just 33 seconds into the second round.
• It gave Kopylov back-to-back UFC finishes and kept the middleweight surge alive.

Kopylov broke Soriano down with body work before forcing a standing stoppage in the second round at the UFC Apex. The result was a clean example of what his best offense looks like: southpaw kicks to the body, increasing pressure, and a finish once the opponent starts reacting rather than attacking.

Key moments

• Kopylov entered as a slight underdog but steadily took over the striking exchanges.
• The body kicks started to sap Soriano's ability to plant and counter with his usual power.
• Kopylov closed the sequence with punches after the body work had already done the heavy damage.
• The stoppage came at 3:19 of round two for his second straight UFC win.

Kopylov saved his UFC run in Paris by wearing down Alessio Di Chirico and finishing him early in the third round. The body kicks and southpaw pressure gradually took over the fight, and the knockout ended a 0-2 start that had put his roster spot in danger.

Key moments

• Kopylov came into the bout needing a result after losing his first two UFC appearances.
• He increasingly found the body kick and straighter left hand as the fight went on.
• The finish came at 1:09 of round three with combination punches.
• That win started the four-fight UFC knockout streak that changed the direction of his career.

Duraev outworked Kopylov over three rounds in Abu Dhabi by mixing enough wrestling and pace to blunt Kopylov's cleaner moments on the feet. Kopylov rallied late and even found a big takedown of his own, but by then too much of the fight had already slipped away.

Key moments

• The opening frame stayed mostly upright, but Duraev consistently pushed the tempo and made Kopylov work harder than he wanted.
• By round three Kopylov looked tired, though he still had moments of offense and refused to fold.
• A late takedown and push for the finish were not enough to erase the earlier control and activity from Duraev.
• The judges scored it 30-27, 29-27 and 29-27 for Duraev.

Kopylov's UFC debut went badly because Roberson denied him a clean start, chopped at the legs, and made him fight from the back foot for long stretches. Kopylov came on late and tried to force a finish in the third, but Roberson timed a takedown and took the back for the submission.

Key moments

• Roberson pressured early and repeatedly landed leg kicks that slowed Kopylov's movement.
• Kopylov spent much of the first two rounds trying to find rhythm while dealing with that accumulating damage.
• He surged in the final round and looked closer to his usual offensive self before a late momentum swing.
• Roberson got the takedown, found the back, and secured the rear-naked choke at 4:01 of round three.

Kopylov defended his Fight Nights Global middleweight title by stopping veteran Yasubey Enomoto in the fourth round. Beating a former M-1 welterweight champion in a headliner gave his regional title run another serious name before the UFC signed him the following year.

Key moments

• The bout headlined Fight Nights Global 91 in Moscow.
• Enomoto brought high-level experience and championship credentials into the matchup.
• Kopylov ended the fight with a body-shot knockout at 3:39 of round four.
• It served as a successful defense of the FNG middleweight belt.

Kopylov won the Fight Nights Global middleweight championship by stopping Abusupyan Alikhanov after four rounds in Moscow. The victory stands out as the central title win of his pre-UFC career and the clearest signal that he was ready for larger stages.

Key moments

• The fight was booked as the main event for the FNG middleweight title.
• Kopylov carried the contest into the championship rounds rather than needing an early finish.
• The stoppage was recorded as a corner stoppage at the end of round four.
• Winning that belt anchored the regional résumé that later got him to the UFC.

Kopylov stayed perfect in 2017 by knocking out Luiz Gustavo Dutra in the opening round at the Plotforma Cup. It kept the finish-heavy pattern intact as he moved from prospect status toward the regional title scene.

Key moments

• The knockout came at 3:15 of round one.
• Kopylov again won inside the distance rather than needing the cards.
• The result pushed his unbeaten record deeper into 2017.
• It came between his early Fight Nights wins and the later title push.

Kopylov's step up to Fight Nights Global continued smoothly when Kobe Ortiz's corner stopped the fight after two rounds. The result helped establish him as a serious middleweight prospect in the Russian regional scene.

Key moments

• This was one of Kopylov's first appearances under the Fight Nights banner.
• The fight reached the end of the second round before Ortiz was pulled out.
• Kopylov improved to 5-0 with another stoppage victory.
• That momentum soon carried him into deeper promotional waters.

Kopylov had to work deeper than usual before stopping Artem Shokalo late in the third round at Fight Nights Global 59. Those longer fights early in his career helped show that his offense remained dangerous even after extended rounds.

Key moments

• The bout lasted well into the third round, giving Kopylov one of his longer early-career tests.
• He finally broke through with punches at 4:11 of round three.
• The win kept him unbeaten through his first four professional appearances.
• It also marked an early successful appearance on a notable Russian promotion.

Kopylov produced one of the flashiest finishes on his record when he knocked out Islam Gugov with a spinning back kick to the body at ACB 49. The result still reads like an early blueprint for the later UFC body-shot finishes that made his name.

Key moments

• The knockout came from a spinning back kick to the body rather than a conventional punching exchange.
• Gugov was stopped at 3:57 of round two in Rostov-on-Don.
• It became one of the signature finishes on Kopylov's regional highlight reel.
• The technique foreshadowed the body-work theme that followed him into the UFC.

Kopylov earned his second professional finish by stopping José Santos late in the third round at the 2016 Plotforma Cup. Going nearly the full fifteen minutes before closing the show gave him an early example of how his power could hold up as fights stretched out.

Key moments

• The fight lasted longer than his debut and pushed Kopylov deep into round three.
• He still found the knockout with just eight seconds left in the fight.
• The official finish time was 4:52 of round three.
• It moved him to 2-0 as a professional with another stoppage.

Kopylov began his professional career with a three-round unanimous decision over veteran Felipe Nsue at WCSA Combat Ring 18. It is the only non-finish in the first eight fights of his career and the starting point for the unbeaten regional run that followed.

Key moments

• This was Kopylov's professional debut in April 2016.
• Nsue entered with far more professional experience despite the losing record.
• Kopylov went the full distance and won a unanimous decision.
• That opener launched the 8-0 run that eventually carried him to the UFC.