Former Fight Nights Global Middleweight champion Roman Kopylov of Russia seeks his third win on the bounce when he collides with Brazilian fighter Claudio Ribeiro in the prelims of UFC 291. The Brazilian debuted early this year and is already billed for his third fight in the promotion in just seven months. For Roman Kopylov, he has finally found his feet in the promotion after a difficult start which saw him lose his unbeaten status as a pro. This weekend, UFC 291 holds at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
MMA: UFC Middleweight
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Where to watch: ABC/ESPN/ESPN+
Date: 29.07.2023. 03.30
Roman Kopylov
The 32-year-old Russian got into martial arts very early and turned into an exceptional hand-to-hand combat athlete, winning titles at all levels while maintaining academic excellence. After becoming a five-time world champion in hand-to-hand combat sambo and winning several European and Russian championships, the southpaw transitioned to MMA. Born in Kemerovo Oblast, Roman Kopylov defeated Abusupyan Alikhanov in 2016 to win the FNG Middleweight title. His impressive track record saw Roman Kopylov handed a UFC contract by the promotion’s matchmakers. He made his debut against Karl Roberson in November 2019 in Moscow, where he lost for the first time in his professional career. After losing to Albert Duraev in his second fight, Roman Kopylov, whose idol is Fedor Emelianenko, returned to winning ways with knockouts of Alessio Di Chirico and Punahele Soriano. Fighting out of Novosibirsk, the Ratiborets team member has nine knockouts from ten wins.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 32
- Height: 6’ 0″
- Reach: 75″
- Record: 10-2
Claudio Ribeiro
Brazilian Claudio Ribeiro rebounded from a second-round loss to Abdul Razak Alhassan in his UFC debut to stop Joseph Holmes in the second round of their fight last May. The 31-year-old Brazilian came to the UFC via the Contender Series route after stopping Iván Valenzuela with a left hook twenty-five seconds into their 2022 bout. Having debuted in the promotion in January this year, the hard-working Brazilian will be fighting for the third time in seven months in the UFC. Fighting out of Sao Paulo, the Brazilian has won all eleven of his win by knockout.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 31
- Height: 6’ 1″
- Reach: 77″
- Record: 11-3-0
Whoever the UFC puts in front of me, I’m here. Just let them know Claudio’s here, and I’m up for it. Dana (White), send me some people.
Betting Odds
Over at 1XBET, the odds are 1.43 for a Roman Kopylov win, and 2.792 for a Claudio Ribeiro win. Marathonbet has priced the total completed rounds thus: under 1.5 at 1.75 odds, with the over at 1.92. Bet 365 has over 2.5 rounds at 2.40 odds, with the under at 1.55.
