There was “Spygate,” with Christ Curtis falsely accusing Roman Kopylov of sending spies to his training camp for UFC Vegas 101, then “The Action Man” revealing he’d once threatened to cripple teammate Sean Strickland.
Yes, it was a typically wild build-up to a Chris Curtis fight once again ahead of UFC Vegas 101, but all that took a back seat once the cage door closed on Saturday.
Kopylov opened the fight with a body kick, while Curtis fired a punch or two back. Kopylov then went low with a kick, while Curtis fired his jab. A Curtis kick to the body didn’t have much behind it. Just over a minute in, Kopylov found the mark more than once with a crisp jab of his own. A roughly four-punch combo came moments later for Roman Kopylov, and each and every one could be heard landing with an audible thud. Curtis was covering up as best he could, guard high. Which opened up the body as a target, a fact Kopylov was happy to take advantage of.
Chris Curtis, meanwhile, was looking to find an opening, firing a punch over the top, and a nasty left uppercut. That uppercut gave Kopylov pause, and suddenly he was fighting off the back foot, though not for long.
Round two saw Curtis on the attack early, opening up a cut over the right eye of Roman Kopylov and damaging his nose. “The Action Man” was very much in the fight, landing with more accuracy. Just as things were really going well for Curtis, however, he was hit with a low blow, though one that glanced off his own forearm and was far from intentional.
A brief pause in the action, and Curtis was good to go. He went back on the attack, snapping back the head of the bloodied Kopylov more than once. Whether Kopylov was compromised or not, the visual was not a good one. And moments later, the Russian was guilty of another foul, poking Curtis in the eye. That drew a warning from the ref, but luckily Chris Curtis was again good to continue. And he continued to display smart defense, giving Kopylov a lot of different looks. Roman connected solidly at the end of the frame but round two belonged to Curtis.
It's been nonstop action from the beginning!
[ #UFCVegas101 is live NOW on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/aP3OnIXV5e
— UFC (@ufc) January 12, 2025
Roman Kopylov answered the bell for round three, coming out fired up and firing a few heavy uppercuts. Curtis was still game, but Kopylov had him rocked at one point, and appeared to have found a second wind. It seemed as if neither man had even thought about a takedown through the better part of three rounds. That changed with just under two minutes to go, as Roman Kopylov put Curtis on his back. Curtis worked back to the fence, regaining his feet and giving him a final minute to finish the fight. Both men were swinging hard, but both men were exhausted. Then, with all of a second left on the clock, Kopylov launched a head kick just as Curtis leaned into it. Partially blocked at best, Curtis dropped to his knees, unsteady, as Kopylov walked off. The ref, meanwhile, waved off the fight, leaving Chris Curtis furious about a stoppage being declared despite not being in any danger at that point.
Curtis could barely contain himself as Kopylov went over the pay his respects, and coach Eric Nicksick was far from pleased as well. Notably, Curtis refused to let the ref hold his hand while the result was being announced.
Official Result: Roman Kopylov def. Chris Curtis by TKO (head kick), Round 3, 4:59
