NEWARK, N.J. – Roman Kopylov beat Cesar Almeida with a split decision Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC 302 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Take a look inside the fight with Kopylov, who got back in the win column after his four-fight winning streak was snapped in February.
Roman Kopylov def. Cesar Almeida
Result: Roman Kopylov def. Cesar Almeida via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Updated records: Kopylov (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC), Almeida (5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
Key stats: Although Kopylov lost the striking battle, he controlled more than 8 minutes of the fight for his first decision win since his pro debut more than eight years ago.
Kopylov on the fight's key moment
“It’s really good to be back in the victory column. Of course, I want it to be a little more of an exciting fight, but the most important thing is victory. … I knew that I landed a really good shot (in the first) and I didn’t really recognize it right away, but I heard my corner. My corner said back up, let him get up, and if I did that earlier then I think that I would be able to finish the fight.”
Kopylov on using a wrestling-based attack
“The majority of fights in my career did not last three rounds. They finished way earlier. So of course we knew that he was a very decorated kickboxer. We knew that his base was kickboxing. So the idea was to wrestle as much as possible, and I think it was a new look for the fans to see that I’m able to wrestle.”
Kopylov on what he wants next
“I want to be active, if possible. I’d love to fight two more times this year. I think I’ll be ready for September, and if the promotion will allow it, I would love to get somebody from the top 15 – anybody.”
To hear more from Kopylov, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.
