Middleweight Roman Kopylov is hoping for a repeat performance at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, Utah, a city he’s fought in once before.
That was UFC 291 in 2023, when Kopylov (15-5) landed a head kick knockout on Brazil’s Claudio Ribeiro. A repeat performance would be rather impressive, though this time around it’s the formidable Ateba Gautier
“Clearly he’s a big, strong dude, but I think that this fight is going to be more age versus experience,” Kopylov said of the match-up. The Russian is 35, Gautier a comparatively youthful 24. “We’re prepared for it, we obviously studied him, we know what we have to do.”
“UFC matchmaking is second to none,” Kopylov added. “They pick their fights specifically for a purpose. We’re prepared for it, and we’re hoping for this to be Fight of the Night.”
In MMA and the UFC in particular, Fight of the Night tends to be awarded to drawn-out, action-packed wars, as opposed to quick finishes. What makes Kopylov think this fight might go into the later rounds? For one, he knows what he’s up against.
“If I knock him out in the first round, it isn’t going to be Fight of the Night, but obviously we understand what we’re up against. We prepared for the entire fight,” noted Kopylov. “We definitely did not plan to be knocked out in the first round, so this is not the plan. The plan is to implement what we prepared and what we worked on during the training camp.”
Watch the full UFC 332 media day appearance by Roman Kopylov above.