Roman Kopylov won a unanimous decision over Marco Tulio with all three judges scoring the bout 29-28 at UFC 328. The victory brings Kopylov's UFC record to 7-5. Despite scoring multiple knockdowns against the Brazilian fighter, Kopylov was unable to secure a finish. The Russian fighter's performance was described as uneven, featuring several lost exchanges and absorbed strikes alongside impressive offensive sequences. Kopylov demonstrated powerful kicks that were quick and well-disguised, along with effective feinting and strike-hiding techniques, though he struggled to maintain consistent dominance throughout the fight.
Roman Kopylov earned a unanimous decision victory over Marco Tulio at UFC 328 on May 9, 2026, with all three judges returning identical scores of 29-28 in the middleweight bout.
Kopylov, a 34-year-old Russian southpaw fighting out of Raty Team, improves to 15-5-0 overall with the win. Ranked 14th in the middleweight division, he stands six feet tall with a 75-inch reach and lands 4.59 significant strikes per minute at 50 percent accuracy. The performance was far from clean — Kopylov dropped Tulio multiple times but could not put him away, and he absorbed punishment during several lost exchanges. His most effective weapons were powerful, well-disguised kicks paired with crafty feinting, though he was unable to sustain pressure throughout all three rounds.
Tulio, the 32-year-old Brazilian known as "Matuto" and a product of the renowned Chute Boxe Diego Lima camp, falls to 14-3-0. He brings a notably high output to the cage, averaging 6.69 significant strikes per minute at an impressive 58 percent accuracy, and also contributes on the grappling end with 1.42 takedowns per 15 minutes. Despite heading into the fight as the more active striker on paper, he was unable to turn the knockdowns he absorbed into a decisive momentum shift in his favor.
Why it matters
- Kopylov's win at 15-5-0 keeps him relevant in a crowded middleweight division, though the narrow 29-28 scores offer little room to climb the rankings quickly.
- Tulio's first UFC loss drops him to 14-3-0 and may stall what had been a promising run for the Brazilian contender.
- The style matchup underscored a contrast between Tulio's high-volume orthodox striking and Kopylov's southpaw power, with neither fighter able to impose himself cleanly across all three rounds.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
