Russian middleweight Roman Kopylov looked to snap a two-fight losing streak when he took on Marco Tulio at UFC 328 in Newark, NJ on Saturday.
Brazil’s Tulio was 2-1 under the UFC banner, and was aiming to rebound from a loss to Christian Leroy Duncan.
To open round one, the two middleweights engaged in a striking affair, both trading low kicks to start the fight. It was clear Tulio was looking for the knockout from the opening round, whiffing on a number of overhands before Kopylov returned with a nice kick to the body.
Roman Kopylov did a good job of managing his distance early, dashing in for quick combinations to the body while using an assortment of kicks. Tulio found some success behind his left jab, though, working in a sneaky roundhouse that partially landed to the head of Kopylov as he took a lead in the striking numbers in round one. With around thirty seconds left, Kopylov started finding more consistent shots, finishing off the round with a flying knee that nearly landed on the chin of the Brazilian.
With Tulio likely banking the first round, a much more urgent Kopylov came out of the corner, landing a quick check hook on Tulio to open the second round. Tulio peppered his jab in response, but Kopylov opened up with a series of combinations that gave the Russian an early lead in round two. Tulio, still hunting for the finish, kept on with his power shots, opening up Kopylov around his left eye.
It didn’t feel as if Tulio had smashed Kopylov with a massive shot that cut him open, but with around two minutes left in the second round, Kopylov was wearing an unreal amount of damage on his face. Then, the tide turned completely out of nowhere. Kopylov dropped Tulio with a right jab followed by a straight left, then continued to swarm the injured Brazilian, knocking him to the ground again. Surprisingly, Kopylov engaged in the clinch to end the round, despite having Tulio exactly where he wanted him. As the round ended, Kopylov held on as a clear 1-1 fight moved into the third round.
Round three opened with another massive shot by Roman Kopylov, knocking Tulio to the ground again, this time with a beautiful left hook. Kopylov took his opportunity, jumping on Tulio to gain an advantage in the grappling and secure some control time.
Marco Tulio was able to return to his feet fairly quickly, though the Brazilian was chasing for the remainder of the five minutes. Slashing from range with body shots, Kopylov stayed on the outside, avoiding the big exchanges until the final 10 seconds, where the two traded power blows as the horn sounded.
A clear 29-28 victory was awarded to the Russian, Roman Kopylov, as the middleweight gets back in the win column over Marco Tulio. Kopylov moves to 15-5 and 7-5 during his UFC career, while Tulio faces his second consecutive loss, dropping to 14-3 and 2-2 under the UFC banner.
Official Result: Roman Kopylov def. Marco Tulio by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28)
