LAS VEGAS – Roman Kopylov turned in a phenomenal performance on the final fight of his current UFC contract.
On the main card of UFC Fight Night 217, Kopylov (10-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) took on Punahele Soriano in a middleweight clash, and finished the bout after crushing blows to the body. The bout took place at the UFC Apex and aired on ESPN+.
Soriano (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) made the fight interesting early, but Kopylov proved to be the more accurate and effective fighter as the bout wore on. In the second round, Kopylov put together a series of hard strikes to the body, causing Soriano to show signs of fading.
Kopylov sensed the finish was near, and continued to look for his chance to go to the body again. Soriano didn’t go out without putting up a fight, though. But after another hard kick to the body landed for Kopylov, the fight was all but over as he folded over in pain. Kopylov unleashed punches until the referee stopped the fight.
Watch video of the finish below (via Twitter):
KOPYLOV WITH THE RELENTLESS FINISH AT #UFCVEGAS67 👊 pic.twitter.com/GV1t3Cefff
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 15, 2023
With the win, Kopylov makes it two straight wins as he stays on the right track after a rough start to his UFC career. The 31-year-old Russian dropped his first pair of fights with the promotion, but has since followed up with a finish of Alessio Di Chirico and the winning result over Soriano.
During his post-fight interview, he revealed this fight was the final bout on his current UFC contract, and hopes the promotion will sign him to a new deal.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 217.
