Roman Kopylov and Gregory Rodrigues delivered one of the most compelling middleweight fights of the night at UFC 322 on Saturday, combining Kopylov’s sharp, surgical striking with Rodrigues’ explosive power and finishing instincts.
Kopylov (14-4) entered UFC 322 looking to bounce back from his July loss to Paulo Costa at UFC 318, a setback that ended his two-fight streak highlighted by wins over Cesar Almeida and Chris Curtis. For the Russian middleweight, a return to the win column had the potential to push him up the rankings ahead of his next outing.
Rodrigues (17-6) entered UFC 322 fresh off a TKO victory in June over Jack Hermansson at UFC 317. “Robocop” has built a resume full of notable victories, including victories over Chris Leroy Duncan, Brad Tavares and Chidi Njokuani.
Round 1 – Rodrigues met Kopylov in the center with the composure of a seasoned UFC veteran. Thirty seconds later, neither man had thrown a punch and Kopylov was clearly waiting for a counter, so the early inactivity made sense.
Rodrigues was the first to open up and unleashed a quick attack that Kopylov evaded. Moments later, Rodrigues landed a clean straight to start the scoring. Kopylov responded with steady feints before chopping at the calf.
When Kopylov intervened, Rodrigues caught him with a short combination. Rodrigues then shot for a single leg, couldn’t secure it, but landed with clean hits. Seconds later, Kopylov connected with a heavy left hand, prompting Rodrigues to resume the forward pressure.
Rodrigues appeared to lead the dance, landing a knee to the body and attempting another takedown, but Kopylov reversed the dance and put Rodrigues on his back. Rodrigues remained patient with open guard as Kopylov attempted to land from the top position, but the round ended before he could do any significant damage.
Round 2 – Rodrigues connected with a right hand, but Kopylov held on. Sensing momentum, Rodrigues pressed forward behind more right hands, landed a knee to the body and was briefly taken down before attacking a heel hook. Kopylov scrambled free and quickly got back up.
Rodrigues shot again for a takedown, but abandoned it when there was nothing, then went back to throwing heavy punches upstairs as Kopylov remained cautious with the level changes.
Rodrigues controlled the round, mixing body shots with head strikes and constantly forcing Kopylov to guess. Kopylov had some success with his jab, but Rodrigues landed cleaner and heavier.
The right hand remained Rodrigues’ best weapon, especially in this round. Kopylov often retreated, trying to find space to reset, but Rodrigues effectively interrupted him. Kopylov came close late with a head kick, but it wasn’t enough to swing the frame.
Rodrigues clearly dominated the round.
Round 3 – Rodrigues was on autopilot and was very effective starting with the jabs and right hands. Kopylov continued to fight off the back foot until he landed a head kick that wobbled the Brazilian for a moment.
Rodrigues shot back with a 1-2, then fired the single leg, but Kopylov fired away. The momentum seemed to turn after that main kick, with Kopylov taking the lead in the dance. Rodrigues continued to fire away, but nowhere near the power pace of the first two rounds.
Kopylov began landing on Rodrigues, but the return fire was no longer a deterrent. Rodrigues remained active and felt he had done enough to win the first two rounds. Just surviving the third round would give him victory.
Kopylov landed a left hand on top and Rodrigues fired back to the body. Kopylov started walking Rodrigues down. With 10 seconds to go, the Russian took off and threw everything he could, but couldn’t find the finish.
Official result: Gregory Rodrigues def. Roman Kopylov via (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
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