Capturing Fight of the Night honors has its drawbacks. Just asked UFC middleweight, Roman Kopylov, who walked away with an extra $50,000 and a slicing cut above his eye following a bloody war with Chris Curtis on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 101.
While the middleweight clash may have ended in last-second controversy, Kopylov still did what he needed to do in order to squeak out a win. The Russian striker went toe-to-toe with Curtis over the course of three hard rounds and was bloody all over his face as a result. Curtis may not be known for his one-punch knockout power, but his lead jab and inside uppercut were getting through all night and did some serious damage.
Kopylov, who has never been stopped by strikes in his professional MMA career, kept plodding forward and welcomed the violence. The former Fight Nights Global champion ended up pulling away in the third and final round to score a head kick stoppage with one second left on the clock. The finish was a bit controversial, but it was still an incredible shot by Kopylov.
Despite the controversial knockout, Kopylov still walked away with the win and a Fight of the Night award. That’s all well and good, but the Russian contender also suffered a nasty gash above his right eye from the shots landed by Curtis. UFC CEO, Dana White, shard the aftermath via Instagram so fight fans can get an up close and personal look at the cut.
Check it out below:
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