Roman Kopylov – Page 5 – Syndication Server

Roman Kopylov explains how patience paid off at UFC Fight Night 217

Following his UFC Fight Night 217 win, Roman Kopylov spoke to reporters backstage about the finish, his goals and Chase Hooper comparisons.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] kicked off 2023 the way he wanted, with a foot to the midsection of Puna Soriano.

At UFC Fight Night 217, Kopylov (10-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) elevated his winning streak to two with a second-round TKO with a body kick and punches that crumpled Soriano (9-2 MMA, 3-3 UFC).

Prior to the end sequence, there were moments Kopylov was tempted to go for the kill, but elected not to rush himself at the consultation of his coaches. The patience paid off.

“Those were the moments when I realized I still didn’t have the little bit enough to finish him, so I’d go back a little bit and that actually gave him a little time to recover but it also gave me a little time to recover,” Kopylov told MMA Junkie and other reporters Saturday at the UFC Apex. “So I was able to regain my composure and then keep pressing forward.”

For the first time in his short UFC tenure, Kopylov has won back-to-back fights. In September, Kopylov defeated Alessio Di Chirico with punches for a Round 3 stoppage. Kopylov started 2023 in a similar fashion to how he ended 2022.

“I’m very happy that the year started this way,” Kopylov said. “Thank God we’re healthy. I have a couple of bruises, maybe a couple of sore spots. Other than that, I’m pretty happy. I’d really like to hav another three or four fights by the end of the year.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 217.

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UFC Fight Night 217 post-event facts: Sean Strickland joins exclusive three-division club

Sean Strickland accomplished something only two other men in history have done with his win at UFC Fight Night 217.

The UFC kicked off another busy year of action Saturday with UFC Fight Night 217. It was the first of an expected 42 events from the promotion in 2023, and it went down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Although six fights on the card ended in a stoppage, the main event went the distance as [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) managed to outwork and outpoint [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) to win a unanimous decision on short notice in the light heavyweight headliner.

Fore more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 217.

UFC Fight Night 217 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $14.5 million

UFC Fight Night 217 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 217 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $137,000.

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 217 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 217 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Claudio Ribeiro[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Javid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Mateus Mendonca[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Mateusz Rebecki[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Nick Fiore[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Allan Nascimento[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Carlos Hernandez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nick Aguirre[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jimmy Flick[/autotag]: $4,000

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 2177 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2171 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 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

“UFC Fight Night 217: Strickland vs. Imavov” – $137,000

Year-to-date total: $137,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $14,656,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 217.

UFC Fight Night 217 results: Roman Kopylov folds Punahele Soriano with brutal body attacks

Roman Kopylov’s body work shut down Punahele Soriano in the second round of their main card bout at UFC Fight Night 217.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] turned in a phenomenal performance on the final fight of his current UFC contract.

On the main card of UFC Fight Night 217, Kopylov (10-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) took on Punahele Soriano in a middleweight clash, and finished the bout after crushing blows to the body. The bout took place at the UFC Apex and aired on ESPN+.

Soriano (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) made the fight interesting early, but Kopylov proved to be the more accurate and effective fighter as the bout wore on. In the second round, Kopylov put together a series of hard strikes to the body, causing Soriano to show signs of fading.

Kopylov sensed the finish was near, and continued to look for his chance to go to the body again. Soriano didn’t go out without putting up a fight, though. But after another hard kick to the body landed for Kopylov, the fight was all but over as he folded over in pain. Kopylov unleashed punches until the referee stopped the fight.

Watch video of the finish below (via Twitter):

KOPYLOV WITH THE RELENTLESS FINISH AT #UFCVEGAS67 👊 pic.twitter.com/GV1t3Cefff

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 15, 2023

With the win, Kopylov makes it two straight wins as he stays on the right track after a rough start to his UFC career. The 31-year-old Russian dropped his first pair of fights with the promotion, but has since followed up with a finish of Alessio Di Chirico and the winning result over Soriano.

During his post-fight interview, he revealed this fight was the final bout on his current UFC contract, and hopes the promotion will sign him to a new deal.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 217.

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UFC Fight Night 217 video: Hear from each winner backstage

Check out what the UFC Fight Night 217 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 217 took place Saturday with 11 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex.

You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 217 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

UFC Fight Night 217: Punahele Soriano vs. Roman Kopylov odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 217 odds and lines between Punahele Soriano vs. Roman Kopylov, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.

In a middleweight bout on the main card, Punahele Soriano and Roman Kopylov meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 217 – also known as UFC Vegas 67 – at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC Fight Night 217: Soriano vs. Kopylov odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

Soriano halted a 2-bout losing streak with a 2nd-round KO/TKO win over Dalcha Lungiambula last time out in mid-July. In his 2 losses at the UFC level, he has lost via points. In his 3 victories, each have come with early round KO/TKO wins.

Kopylov has 3 fights under his belt since arriving at the UFC level, and he lost the first 2. He tapped out in a loss to Karl Roberson in his debut, before Albert Duraev topped him via unanimous-decision at UFC 267. He bounced back with a 3rd-round KO/TKO against Alessio Di Chirico last time out in early September.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC Fight Night 217: Soriano vs. Kopylov odds

Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2 p.m. ET.

Fight result (2-way line): Soriano -145 (bet $145 to win $100) | Kopylov +125 (bet $100 to win $125)
Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over +120 | Under -165)
Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +140 | No -200)

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UFC Fight Night 217: Soriano vs. Kopylov picks and predictions

Records: Soriano (9-2-0) | Kopylov (9-2-0)

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

This is an interesting fight between 2 combatants with just 1 victory in the past 3 outings.

KOPYLOV (+125) is worth a look as the minor underdog in this bout, as most of the numbers are fairly close. However, in this battle of southpaws, Kopylov holds a 2.5-inch reach advantage, and that will help him keep Soriano at a distance, picking and choosing his times to go in for the big shots.

Neither of these fighters are particularly good in the ground game, as Kopylov has never won in 11 pro bouts via submission, and Soriano has no submission wins since arriving at the UFC level.

Over/Under (O/U)

YES: FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE (+135) is a strong play at plus-money. While yes, Kopylov has only ended up going the distance once in his 3 fights at the UFC level, and twice in his 11 career pro bouts overall. So, there is some risk.

However, Soriano has needed the judges to determine a winner in 2 of his past 3 outings.

KOPYLOV BY POINTS (+370) is also worth a look for method of victory, as is OVER 2.5 ROUNDS (+120) at plus-money, if you would like a little wiggle room and do not want to play the distance prop.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW, or try out our USA TODAY Parlay Calculator. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.

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UFC Fight Night 217 predictions: Who’s picking Sean Strickland over Nassourdine Imavov on short notice?

Check out our staff members’ picks for UFC Fight Night 217, which features Nassourdine Imavov vs. Sean Strickland in Las Vegas.

	Imavov vs. Strickland	Ige vs. Jackson	Kopylov vs. Soriano	Pennington vs. Vieira	Barcelos vs. Nurmagomedov
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 202-120 (2022)	Imavov (51%)	Ige (62%)	Soriano (68%)	Vieira (67%)	Nurmagomedov (88%)
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 215-112 (2022) 2018, 2022 Champion	Imavov	Jackson	Soriano	Vieira	Nurmagomedov
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 209-118 (2022)	Imavov	Jackson	Soriano	Pennington	Nurmagomedov
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 204-123 (2022)	Imavov	Ige	Soriano	Pennington	Nurmagomedov
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 203-124 (2022)	Imavov	Ige	Soriano	Vieira	Nurmagomedov
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 201-126 (2022)	Imavov	Jackson	Soriano	Pennington	Nurmagomedov
Simon Samano @SJSamano 201-126 (2022)	Imavov	Ige	Soriano	Vieira	Nurmagomedov
Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 200-127 (2022) 2014 Champion	Imavov	Jackson	Soriano	Pennington	Nurmagomedov
Nolan King @mma_kings 192-135 (2022)	Imavov	Ige	Soriano	Vieira	Nurmagomedov
Brian Garcia @thegoze 190-137 (2022) 2017 Champion	Imavov	Ige	Soriano	Vieira	Nurmagomedov
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 181-146 (2022)	Strickland	Ige	Soriano	Pennington	Nurmagomedov
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 161-166 (2022)	Imavov	Ige	Soriano	Vieira	Nurmagomedov

The UFC kicks off its 2023 with a home game, and a short-notice light heavyweight fight tops the lineup.

UFC Fight Night 217 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (25-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC). The fight is taking place at 205 pounds instead of middleweight after Strickland stepped in for Kelvin Gastelum on just five days’ notice. Strickland lost to Jared Cannonier in the UFC’s final event of 2022 a month ago.

Imavov is just a slight favorite at -130 at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Strickland is +110. But Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Imavov with a near-unanimous picks lead at 10-1.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) meets [autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag] (22-4-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) at featherweight. Ige is a slight -125 favorite at the betting window, and it’s close with our pickers, too. They’ve got Ige with the narrowest possible lead at 6-5.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) is just a -150 favorite at middleweight against [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC), but he’s one of our two unanimous picks at 11-0.

[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (14-9 MMA, 11-5 UFC) takes on [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in a key women’s bantamweight bout. Vieira is a slight favorite at -125, but she’s got a decent 7-4 lead from our pickers.

And to open the main card, bantamweight [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is the biggest favorite on the entire event at nearly 10-1 against [autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC). Not surprisingly, Nurmagomedov is our other unanimous pick at 11-0.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Imavov (51 percent), Ige (62 percent), Soriano (68 percent), Vieira (67 percent) and Nurmagomedov (88 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 217.

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Roman Kopylov: Punahele Soriano has great standup, UFC Fight Night 217 bout ‘could end at any second’

Roman Kopylov doesn’t expect his fight with Punahele Soriano at UFC Fight Night 217 to last too long.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] doesn’t expect his fight with [autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag] to last too long.

Middleweights Kopylov (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) and Soriano (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) square off on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 217 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

Kopylov earned his first octagon win when he scored a third-round TKO of Alessio Di Chirico this past September in Paris. The Russian finisher sees Soriano’s style making for an exciting fight.

“He’s got great standup, he keeps coming, and I think that’s what we should do,” Kopylov told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “We should keep standing with him and show the fans an exciting fight. That’s exactly what they’re expecting.”

He continued, “I think the fight could end at any second. I think we’re gonna show a great show.”

Watch the video of Kopylov’s complete pre-fight media availability above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 217.

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Video: UFC Fight Night 217 media day interviews

Before UFC Fight Night 217 on Saturday, the main card fighters are scheduled to speak to reporters at media day.

LAS VEGAS – The 2023 schedule for the UFC begins on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 217, which takes place at the UFC Apex and streams on ESPN+.

A makeshift light heavyweight main event serves as the final act on the card. Sean Strickland (25-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) replaced the injured Kelvin Gastelum on five days’ notice against Nassourdine Imavov (12-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in the headliner.

Before fight night arrives, though, the 10 athletes from the main card spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day, and MMA Junkie was in attendance.

If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Nov. 14-20)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Nov. 14-20.