Cesar Almeida vs Roman Kopylov — Fight recap

Roman Kopylov defeated Cesar Almeida by split decision over three rounds on June 1, 2024, in a middleweight bout that showcased contrasting approaches. Almeida landed the higher volume of significant strikes with 58 of 105 (55%), distributing damage across body work with 24 of 30 strikes landed there, but failed to secure any takedowns and spent zero seconds in control.

Kopylov, despite landing fewer significant strikes at 41 of 71 (57%), controlled the fight through grappling, landing five of nine takedowns (55%) and accumulating 8:39 of control time while also scoring a knockdown. The Russian's clinch and ground positioning proved decisive on the scorecards despite Almeida's superior striking output, suggesting that cage control and positional dominance outweighed volume in the judges' eyes.

Kopylov's grappling effectiveness moves him into contention at middleweight while raising questions about Almeida's path forward against wrestling-heavy opponents.