Roman Kopylov defied the odds and delivered a stunning first-round knockout over highly-touted middleweight prospect Ateba Gautier to open the UFC 332 main card on Saturday night.
From the start, Kopylov showed that he wasn’t afraid to strike with the powerful Gautier and once he established a straight punch that was giving his opponent problems, the Russian just mashed down on the gas. The end came after Kopylov wobbled Gautier with a quick combination and a few more shots on the ground forced the referee to stop the fight.
The official stoppage came at 3:12 in the opening round.
“Honestly, I think I’m dreaming,” Kopylov said after the win. “That straight [punch] is what changed entire course of the fight. The UFC puts together the best fights for the fans … this is why I can’t believe this is real!”
The middleweights traded kicks early with Kopylov showing due respect to Gautier’s remarkable power as he danced on the outside. Kopylov then connected with a pair of straight left hands that landed clean before moving away to avoid a counter shot from Gautier.
Kopylov continued to attack with that same straight left that just couldn’t miss its target.
A minute later, Kopylov cracked Gautier again with that same straight punch and this time the highly touted middleweight prospect wobbled and dropped to the canvas.
Kopylov quickly followed Gautier to the ground where he continued hammering away until the referee stepped into stop the fight.
Always a prospect worth watching at 185 pounds, Kopylov finally showed his true promise with a shutout performance on Saturday while Gautier has to figure out where he went wrong and look to rebound in the future.
