Tag: Roman Kopylov

John McCarthy explains why Chris Curtis’ UFC Fight Night 249 stoppage loss was a mistake

John McCarthy says Chris Curtis has a right to be upset about his stoppage loss to Roman Kopylov at UFC Fight Night 249.

[autotag]John McCarthy[/autotag] believes [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] has a right to be upset about his loss at UFC Fight Night 249.

Curtis (31-12 MMA, 5-4 UFC) was outraged by referee Mark Smith’s stoppage of his fight against [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) on Saturday at the UFC Apex, where he was dropped with one second left in the fight.

After landing a head kick that floored Curtis, Kopylov walked way, prompting Smith to waive the fight off. Curtis immediately protested, and former referee McCarthy explains why he agrees.

“Going into the third, I had it 1-1,” McCarthy said on his “Weighing-In” podcast. “It was obvious Kopylov was winning the third round, but I know the stoppage was bad. If Kopylov had gone after Chris, it’s a good stoppage. …You’ve got to stop the fight when the person cannot defend themselves and at that moment, there was nothing to defend against. You’re taking a look at what happened with Curtis. Curtis got hurt, he got hit with a good kick and goes down on the side, but he’s looking towards his opponent to a point, and his opponent’s walking off.

“He has nothing to defend. Don’t stop the fight there. If he’s out, stop the fight. But if he’s not, and his opponent’s walking off and you know I’ve already heard the clapping of the boards, so I know I’ve been counting off in my head, if you’re doing the job correctly, what second I’m at. I know that I’ve only got two, three seconds left in this fight, and I have an opponent who’s walking away, I don’t stop the fight.”

Kopylov defended Smith’s stoppage, whereas Curtis released a statement after the fight venting his frustration.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 249.

Roman Kopylov explains why UFC Fight Night 249 win over Chris Curtis wasn’t controversial

Did you agree with this stoppage at UFC Fight Night 249?

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] doesn’t really get all the hubbub.

While opponent [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] and many viewers didn’t agree with Mark Smith’s stoppage of their fight Saturday at UFC Fight Night 249, Kopylov (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) doesn’t see the ending as all that controversial.

“I think that everything was fair,” Kopylov told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Saturday. “I think the referee did his job. I think that kick was enough. He fell to the canvas. There was no reason to finish him. I think he did the job.”

While he rejected the notion the stoppage was erroneous, Kopylov indicated he’d be happy to run it back with Curtis (31-12 MMA, 5-4 UFC) to rid any doubt.

“I think everything was according to the rules,” Kopylov said. “I got him. He fell. Technically, I could’ve jumped on him and finished him but I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to hurt him. There was no reason for me to give him more damage. If there’s questions about this fight, I’m happy to rematch.”

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Whether it’s Curtis or someone else, Kopylov hopes to return again sometime in the second quarter of the year after his routine medical suspension expires.

“I was given by the doctor a suspension for 45 (days) and 30 (days of no contact), so I have to wait for the stitches and all that stuff,” Kopylov said. “But other than that, nothing is hurt. Nothing is aching. April, May would be a great time to come back.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 249.

UFC Fight Night 249 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Santiago Ponzinibbio’s $16,000 leads

The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program has now paid out more than $31 million to athletes since its deal began with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 249 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $173,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 249 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 249 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Carlston Harris[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Austin Bashi[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Uros Medic[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Felipe Bunes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jose Johnson[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Marco Tulio[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Thiago Moises[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jacobe Smith[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Preston Parsons[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ernesta Kareckaite[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nicolle Caliari[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Bruno Lopes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Magomed Gadzhiyasulov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Fatima Kline[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Viktoriia Dudakova[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Nurullo Aliev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Joe Solecki[/autotag]: $6,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2491 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2025 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

  • “UFC Fight Night 249: Dern vs. Ribas 2” – $173,500

Year-to-date total: $173,500
2024 total: $8,280,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $31,191,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 249.

Dana White shares gnarly images of UFC Fight Night 249 winner’s cut

Yuck! Check out these images UFC CEO Dana White posted of a fighter’s cut after the promotion’s first event of 2025.

[autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] walked away from UFC Fight Night 249 a winner, but wore the sacrifice it took to become victorious on his face.

As shown by UFC CEO Dana White on a pair of Instagram story posts Saturday, Kopylov (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) suffered a gnarly laceration across his right eyebrow that required at least 10 stitches.

Kopylov defeated [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] (31-12 MMA, 5-4 UFC) in a middleweight bout on the main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The stoppage was highly debated by Curtis. After he was floored by a Kopylov high kick in the waning seconds of the fight, referee Mark Smith stepped in with only one tick left on the clock.

For Kopylov, a win is a win. That victory was his sixth in his most recent seven outings. Curtis has now lost back-to-back bouts.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 249.

4 first-time UFC winners’ highlight-reel prelim finishes passed over for bonuses

There was plenty of competition for post-fight bonus awards at UFC Fight Night 249 – no question about it.

There was plenty of competition for post-fight bonus awards at UFC Fight Night 249 – no question about it.

In 14 fights at the promotion’s first event of 2025, there were nine finishes. Four of those nine came on the preliminary card at the UFC Apex, and all four were by fighters who won in the UFC for the first time. But five more finishes came on the main card, and those debuting fighters were left with their proverbial cheese out in the wind.

The UFC handed out four $50,000 bonuses after Saturday’s event in Las Vegas, all to fighters on the main card. Check out the winners below.

Performance of the Night: Cesar Almeida

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 11: (L-R) Cesar Almeida of Brazil punches Abdul Razak Alhassan of Ghana in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on January 11, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Cesar Almeida def. Abdul Razak Alhassan via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 4:16

[autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) was knocked down by Abdul Razak Alhassan (12-7 MMA, 6-7 UFC) early in their fight on the main card. But he got back up, got his wits about him, then got into a firefight. He ate a whole bunch of punches right before he cocked back and threw a bomb, and it connected to put Alhassan out without the need for a follow-up. True, it’s the first major event of the year – but Alhassan fell and landed in the kind of way we’re likely to see again come December in the best-of-2025 conversation.

Fight of the Night: Roman Kopylov def. Chris Curtis

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 11: (R-L) Roman Kopylov of Russia punches Chris Curtis in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on January 11, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Roman Kopylov def. Chris Curtis via TKO (head kick) – Round 3, 4:59

[autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) vs. [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] (31-12 MMA, 5-4 UFC) was a straight-up slugfest, but it will go down in history for its statistically crazy ending. Kopylov drilled Curtis and put him on the canvas in the last few seconds. He started to walk away, and when Curtis looked up toward the referee, the fight was waved off – with one second left for a Kopylov TKO win. Kopylov likely was headed toward a decision win, but the stoppage took the judges out of the equation – much to Curtis’ dismay.

Performance of the Night: Mackenzie Dern

Mackenzie Dern def. Amanda Ribas, UFC Fight Night 249 (via UFC)

Mackenzie Dern def. Amanda Ribas via submission (armbar) – Round 3, 4:56

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) exacted a measure of revenge on Amanda Ribas (12-7 MMA, 7-6 UFC) when she submitted her with a third-round armbar. Ribas beat Dern in their first fight in 2019, but that is like a lifetime in MMA. Dern seemed comfortable in the striking game, but when the fight hit the canvas she was always going to be in her world.

Passed-up bonus-eligible stoppages:

UFC Fight Night 249 results: Controversy sparked when Roman Kopylov vs. Chris Curtis called off in final second

Was this UFC stoppage correct? Chris Curtis didn’t agree with Mark Smith’s stoppage of his fight vs. Roman Kopylov – with one second left.

Controversy struck UFC Fight Night 249 on Saturday during the conclusion of the main card bout between [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag].

The fight was a battle for 15 minutes. Well, almost 15. Both men got their licks in but when a Kopylov (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) head kick dropped Curtis (31-12 MMA, 5-4 UFC) in the final seconds, referee Mark Smith intervened to wave off the fight. The time of the stoppage at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas was 4:59 of Round 3.

Curtis was heated following the stoppage. While he hit the canvas, he did not go unconscious. He did not rise to his feet either, though, which appeared to trigger Smith’s stoppage.

Entering the third round, all three judges had the bout even at 19-19.

With the win, Kopylov has won six of his most recent seven fights and is on a two-fight streak. Curtis falls into a two-fight skid.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 249 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 249.

Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov prediction, pick, start time for UFC Fight Night 249

Who has the edge in the UFC Vegas 101 middleweight showdown between Chris Curtis and Roman Kopylov?

[autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] and [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] meet Saturday on the UFC Fight Night 249 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

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UFC main cards, 2024: 0-0

Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov UFC Fight Night 249 preview

Curtis (31-11 MMA, 5-3 UFC) enters his first fight of 2025 seeking a definitive result. His last three walks to the octagon have resulted in a no contest and a pair of split decisions. Last January, Curtis won a split over Marc-Andre Barriault and then lost a split to Brendan Allen in April. … Kopylov (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) also enters on the heels of a split decision. In June, Kopylov squeezed out a win over Cesar Almeida to return to the win column after a loss to Anthony Hernandez snapped a four-fight winning streak.

Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov UFC Fight Night 249 expert pick, prediction

Filling out the main card is another southpaw vs. southpaw affair between middleweights Curtis and Kopylov.

Although Curtis officially stands at 1-1 opposite UFC-level lefties, he could easily be 2-0 if weren’t for an unfortunate clash of heads in his fight with Kelvin Gastelum.

Curtis still takes some time to get his reads regardless of stance, but “The Action Man” is good about utilizing an underrated jab to get offense going on the feet. That said, leg kicks appear to be the common culprit for Cutis given the weighted nature of his front foot.

Sharing Curtis’s record against lefties and leg kick susceptibilities alike is Kopylov, who officially stands at 1-1 against UFC-level southpaws.

Kopylov is also good about using his lead hand in closed-stance affairs, and his bodywork will likely be key for his win conditions. That said, I still find myself siding with the superior bodyworker in Curtis.

Not only is Curtis the better striker in extended exchanges, but I believe that his pressure could wreak havoc against a fighter who struggles off the backfoot like Kopylov, particularly inside of the smaller cage.

Since MMA judges are traditionally blind to things like bodywork, counters and shoulder rolling, I’ll pick Curtis to win by split decision.

Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov UFC Fight Night 249 odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the Russian fighter, listing Kopylov -225 and Curtis +188 via FanDuel.

Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov UFC Fight Night 249 start time, how to watch

As the main card opener, Curtis and Kopylov are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 8:10 p.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 249.

Roman Kopylov reacts to Chris Curtis’ spying claims, apology before UFC Fight Night 249

Roman Kopylov is relieved sanity prevailed after UFC Vegas 101 opponent Chris Curtis accused him of spying.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] was stunned when [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] accused him of spying ahead of UFC Fight Night 249, but he’s relieved that sanity prevailed.

Prior to Saturday’s middleweight matchup at the UFC Apex (ESPN+), longtime veteran Curtis (31-11 MMA, 5-3 UFC) took to social media and pointed out that two unnamed fighters came into his gym at Xtreme Couture to train before appearing at another facility with Kopylov (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) just days later.

Shortly thereafter, however, Curtis spoke out again, stating the entire situation was a miscommunication, and retracted his claim. Kopylov said he has no ill will about what unfolded and revealed that Curtis apologized to him privately, as well.

“I was quite surprised,” Kopylov told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “These are not the type of things that I’m associated with, so I wasn’t sure where it was coming from. But afterward, I saw Chris in the locker room (at the UFC PI) when I was training, and he came up to me, and he was apologizing, and he said, ‘You know what, I was wrong. I was mistaken.’ He actually even put something out on Instagram since then, so it’s gone now.”

With the drama aside, Kopylov can now focus fully on the fight. It’s an important one for him, as he looks to build momentum from a split decision victory over Cesar Almeida at UFC 302 in June. That result put him back on track after a submission loss to Anthony Hernandez in February, which snapped a four-fight knockout streak in his favor.

Curtis is the most experienced opponent that Kopylov has faced to this point in his career, but he thinks it’s stylistically advantageous for him to come out with his hand raised.

I’ve seen a lot of tape on him and it seems as though he’s usually pretty much in the same – he’s got the same plan. He usually works out of fighting standing up and he’s fighting out of his stance. He’s a good striker. I think it’ll be a pretty fun fight. He doesn’t really wrestle. I don’t really wrestle. We’re two strikers and we’re expecting to show a pretty good fight.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 249.

UFC books Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov for Jan. 11 event

UFC middleweights Chris Curtis and Roman Kopylov will throw down in January.

UFC middleweights [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] and [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] will throw down in January.

Curtis takes on Kopylov in a UFC Fight Night event on Jan. 11, which is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie following an initial report from MMA Fighting.

Curtis (31-11-1 MMA, 5-3-1 UFC) was scheduled to face Kevin Holland in Saturday’s UFC 307 event, but he withdrew after fracturing his foot. In his most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 240 in April, Curtis lost a split decision to Brendan Allen in his first headliner.

Winner of five of his past six, with four of those wins coming by knockout, Kopylov (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is coming off a split decision win over Cesar Almeida at UFC 302 in June.

With the addition, the current UFC Fight Night event on Jan. 11 includes:

  • Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov
  • Thiago Moises vs. Trey Ogden

Roman Kopylov ready for busy second half of 2024 – if it’s in UFC’s top 15

Roman Kopylov went to a decision for the first time in more than eight years, but got a crucial win over Cesar Almeida.

NEWARK, N.J. – [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] 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.