LAS VEGAS, NV – JANUARY 11: Roman Kopylov of Russia punches Chris Curtis in a middleweight bout 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)
In “Spygate,” Christ Curtis falsely accuses Roman Kopylov of sending a spy into UFC Vegas 101’s training camp, then paralyzes former teammate Sean Strickland in “The Action Man.” He revealed that he had threatened him.
Yes, it was a typically wild build-up to another fight with Chris Curtis ahead of UFC Vegas 101, but once the cage door closed on Saturday, it all took a backseat.
Kopylov started the fight with a body kick, while Curtis returned with a punch or two. Kopylov landed a low kick and Curtis landed a jab. Curtis’ kicks to the body didn’t do much. Just over a minute into the fight, Kopylov repeatedly found his mark with his sharp jab. Moments later, Roman Kopylov could be heard firing a combo of approximately four punches, all of which landed with a thud. Curtis covered as much as he could and kept his guard high. This opened the body up as a target, and Kopylov was happy to take advantage of this fact.
On the other hand, Chris Curtis took advantage of the opening and threw a punch from above, then delivered a powerful left uppercut. This uppercut stopped Kopylov, and he suddenly began to counterattack with his back foot, although it didn’t last long.
In the second round, Curtis attacked early, slicing Roman Kopylov’s right eye and damaging his nose. “Action Man” was more active in the fight and landed more accurately. Things were going very well for Curtis, however, when he took a low blow that grazed his own forearm and was far from intentional.
There was a brief pause in the action, and Curtis readied himself. He began the attack again, snapping Kopylov’s bloody head back multiple times. Whether Kopylov compromised or not, the visuals were not good. And shortly after, the Russian committed another foul by poking Curtis in the eye. This resulted in a warning from the referee, but fortunately Chris Curtis was able to continue again. And he continued to play smart defense, giving Kopylov a variety of looks. Roman connected solidly at the end of the frame, but the second round belonged to Curtis.
It’s non-stop 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 the third round and came out fired up and landed a few heavy uppercuts. Curtis was still competitive, but Kopylov shook him up at one point and appeared to have found a second wind. For much of the third round, it looked like neither fighter was considering a takedown. With less than two minutes remaining, things changed when Roman Kopylov put Curtis on his back. Curtis went back to the fence, recovered, and gave himself one final moment to end the match. They were both swinging hard, but they were both exhausted. Then, with one second left, Kopylov delivered a head kick as Curtis leaned over. Partially blocked at best, Curtis staggered to his knees as Kopylov walked away. Meanwhile, the referee abandoned the match and Chris Curtis was furious that the match was called off even though he was not in any danger at the time.
Kopylov was so respectful that Curtis could barely contain himself, and coach Eric Nikcik was far from satisfied. Notably, Curtis refused to let the referee hold his hand while the results were announced.
Official result: Roman Kopylov def. Chris Curtis, TKO (head kick), round 3, 4:59
