NEW YORK – Roman Kopylov met the media Wednesday ahead of his fight at UFC 322.
Kopylov (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) takes on Gregory Rodrigues (17-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in a key middleweight matchup on the preliminary card at Madison Square Garden. At media day, Kopylov took questions from members of the press corps before his fight.
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After back-to-back losses to open his UFC tenure, Kopylov ran off six wins in seven fights before he dropped a decision to Paulo Costa in July. That fight was one that was rescheduled from an earlier date, and the Russian said the hiccups that came in the camp threw him off.
“Last time, maybe there were some reasons, a lot of cancellations. They moved the fight a couple times. This time around, none of that was an issue,” Kopylov said through a translator. “We had a good camp, we got prepared … It seems as though it sure did (play a factor in the loss to Costa).
“To be honest, it is pretty hard to go and peak in training and then have to stop and have to get to the peak again. I think professional athletes will understand what I’m talking about. But it’s the sport. It’s something we have to go through.”
But now, Kopylov has an opportunity to end his 2025 campaign on a high note. He started 2025 with an incredible and improbable bonus-winning head kick KO of Chris Curist – with one second left in their fight.
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Could another bonus be in the offing this week? Kopylov thinks Rodrigues can help deliver one.
“I’ve got a great opponent,” Kopylove said. “He’s a striker, I’m a striker. Most likely, this is going to be a really great fight for everybody. I think we’ll bring a lot of happiness with this fight for the fans. I want to finish him, he wants to finish me. I think potentially, this is going to be Fight of the Night.”
Check out Kopylov’s full media day interview in the video above.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Roman Kopylov predicts UFC 322 Fight of Night vs. Gregory Rodrigues
