Preview: UFC Vegas 101 ‘Dern vs. Ribas 2’

Middleweights

Roman Kopylov (13-3, 5-3 UFC) vs. Chris Curtis (31-11, 5-3 UFC)

ODDS: Kopylov (-270), Curtis (+220)

This is an excellent bit of matchmaking, as a well-made fight with some high stakes for each participant. Curtis’ success in the UFC has been well-earned. “Action Man” was one of the more baffling snubs in Contender Series history after his knockout win in 2018, and he continued along a winding path of a regional career—that included several retirements—before finally getting the late-notice call in 2021. Curtis certainly made up for lost time upon his signing, scoring knockouts of Phil Hawes and Brendan Allen one month apart before securing a third straight win over Rodolfo Vieira, but it does like the division has figured him out to an extent after such a hot start. Curtis is a crafty striker, and given the type of striking match that most opponents present, he’s able to leverage his experience in some sneakily effective ways, taking whatever the opponent gives him and slowly pecking away at the most minor of defensive openings. Starting with Jack Hermansson in 2022, opponents have sometimes refused to give Curtis his type of fight and frustrated him greatly as a result, whether it’s staying at a distance where he—as one of the shorter and stockier middleweights on the roster—simply can’t get much done or by attempting to overwhelm him through wrestling. Curtis’ last fight was a split decision loss in a rematch with Allen that demonstrates how the division has caught up to him a bit, and while he figures to be a perennial tough out for as long as he wants to be, he probably needs a win against Kopylov to keep any late-career hopes at title contention alive.

In contrast to Curtis, Kopylov is a fighter who has had to overcome a rough start to his UFC career but has seemingly figured a lot of things out. Kopylov came to the UFC in 2019 and looked like a nice change of pace from the usual Russian prospect. He had some wrestling in his back pocket but mostly got by as a low-powered but high-paced striker who would eventually exhaust his opponents over time. However, the first three years of Kopylov’s UFC career were mostly a disaster. Beyond injuries and visa issues often keeping Kopylov out of the cage, he looked underpowered to a level that prevented him from building much effectiveness against stronger opponents. Everything clicked for Kopylov just as all appeared lost. Starting with his 2022 win over Alessio Di Chirico, Kopylov has been able to strike a more effective balance between speed and power, sitting down on his punches enough to make an impact while staying nimble enough to pick his offense up over time. Kopylov suffered his first loss in his new and improved form to dogged wrestler Anthony Hernandez in 2024, but after rebounding with an impressive performance over Cesar Almeida that featured some wrestling of his own, the Russian’s stock hasn’t dropped much. This should be a fairly even fight with some fun striking exchanges, but the lean is that Kopylov checks enough boxes—especially given his size advantage—to win a smart fight. As with most wins over Curtis, it still won’t be easy. The pick is Kopylov via decision.

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Dern vs. Ribas
Ponzinibbio vs. Harris
Almeida vs. Alhassan
Kopylov vs. Curtis
Bashi vs. Rodriguez
Medic vs. Soriano
The Prelims