MMA fighters manager Romana Kopylova Alexander Skaredin, in a chat with , said the decision to fight American Anthony Hernandez on short notice was driven by confidence in victory.
Kopylov will replace another American fighter, Chris Curtis. In his last fight, the Russian knocked out Brazilian Claudio Ribeiro in the second round at the end of July. In total, the Russian has 11 wins and two losses in MMA, Kopylov’s winning streak in the UFC is three fights. Hernandez also has 11 wins and two losses, but the fighter’s winning streak in the UFC is four fights.
– Hernandez was supposed to meet Curtis at this tournament, but Curtis, for some reason I don’t know, won’t be able to talk. The UFC needed to save this fight, the organization offered to replace several middleweight fighters at once, including Roma. We looked at the opponent. First, Hernandez is right-handed, which is already great. Roma is left-handed, he got tired of fighting with left-handers. So we have an advantage here. Second, Hernandez has a lot of holes, especially in the rack. Roman Kopylov exceeds it by several orders of magnitude.
Among the strengths of the opponent, it can be noted that Hernandez is patient – he does not give up, takes damage, but looks for an opportunity to impose his grappling style. Accordingly, it is important for us not to go closer than the average distance. Being faster on your feet, you have to break it by acting on the floors. It is necessary to prevent overtaking attempts. Roman, I think, is beyond tough for this opponent. As a result, it was decided not to refuse such an opportunity and to fight in a month. It is also important that after his last fight, Roman is in good physical shape, the weight has not changed much. Roma were unharmed after the last fight. It would be wrong to refuse such an opportunity. Also, the UFC appreciates when you record fights. Depending on the opponent, there is a possibility of continuing your winning streak, and even a knockout winning streak. And it will seriously affect Roman’s shares in the top organization,” Skaredin told .
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Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
