Albert Duraev vs Roman Kopylov: Clearly different levels of fighters here

On October 30, UFC 267 will be held at the Etihad Arena in Yas Island/Yas West, UAE, with many Russian fighters in attendance. We offer our predictions for the Albert Duraev vs Roman Kopylov fight.

He is a tough grappler, winner of numerous sambo and grappling competitions. Duraev is a hard puncher, but that is probably his only advantage in the rack. He took victory at the Pretender Series in September, smothering Cayo Bittencourt there. He had not competed for three years, but the prolonged downtime does not seem to have affected his form.

In his overall pro record, the 32-year-old Russian has fourteen wins (three by knockout, nine by submission) and three defeats (all by knockout). He is on a streak of nine straight wins, with his last defeat against Anatoly Tokov in 2014. His list of victories includes such fighters as Sergey Khandozhko, Ustarmagomed Gajidaudov, Vyacheslav Vasilevsky.

Two years ago, Roman only had one fight in the UFC and had not been in the cage since. Nevertheless, he has competed extensively in amateur hand-to-hand combat competitions, and with a certain amount of scepticism, that can be counted as competitive practice.

Kopylov prefers to fight in a standing position but has obvious gaps in wrestling.

The 30-year-old Russian has eight wins (seven by knockout) and only one defeat so far in his overall pro record.

Duraev looks like a big, overwhelming favourite, and the matchmakers have miscalculated here. Roman doesn’t stand a chance to win. It looks like Albert will start by assessing his and his opponent’s capabilities, moving the fight to the ground, and making up his mind there. Possibly, quickly.

Bet365 offers odds of 1.66 for Duraev’s victory by submission, which is a possible outcome.