Alexander Romanov (fighter)

Last updated
Alexandr Romanov
Born (1990-12-11) December 11, 1990 (age 33)
Comrat, Moldavian SSR, Soviet Union
Other namesKing Kong
Residence Comrat, Moldova
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight265 lb (120 kg; 18 st 13 lb)
Division Heavyweight
Reach75 in (191 cm) [1]
Style Wrestling
Fighting out of Comrat, Moldova
TeamLion Club
Wrestling Olympic Freestyle Wrestling
Years active2016–present (MMA)
2007–present (freestyle wrestling)
Mixed martial arts record
Total19
Wins17
By knockout6
By submission9
By decision2
Losses2
By knockout1
By decision1
University Comrat State University
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing Flag of Moldova.svg  Moldova
World University Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2016 Çorum 125 kg

Alexander Romanov (born 11 December 1990) is a Moldovan professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of July 4, 2023, he is #13 in the UFC heavyweight rankings. [2]

Contents

Wrestling career

Romanov started training in freestyle wrestling at age seven. He has made four Moldovan World Teams (two as a senior and two as a junior) and eight European Teams (five as a senior, three as an age-group wrestler). His best result has been a bronze medal at the 2016 World University Championships. His last performance to date took place at the 2020 European Wrestling Championships, where he placed twelfth. [3] He is also a two-time UWW grappling European bronze medalist. [4]

Romanov studied at law faculty of Comrat State University and pedagogical faculty of Chișinău Sport Institute. [4]

Alexandr Romanov also competed in sumo for a brief time. While his time in the sport was not long, he won silver in the OPEN European Cup in 2016. [5]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Early in his career after his stint in wrestling, Romanov found Chesea Eduard, a Muay Thai coach. Eduard brought Romanov into the sport of MMA and remains his coach to this day. [5]

Romanov compiled a record of 11 wins and no losses while competing in his native Moldova, primarily at Eagles Fighting Championship, where he became the heavyweight champion. [6]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Romanov signed with the UFC on October 3, 2019, and was later scheduled to make his debut against Raphael Pessoa on April 25, 2020. [7] However, the event was subsequently cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [8]

Romanov was then slated to face Marcin Tybura on July 12, 2020, at UFC 251. However, Romanov was removed from the card on July 1, due to a positive COVID-19 test. [9] He was then scheduled to face Marcos Rogério de Lima on September 5, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Sakai, but the bout was scratched the day of the event when Lima tested positive for COVID-19. [10]

Romanov eventually made his debut on September 12, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill, when he defeated Roque Martinez via arm-triangle choke in the second round. [11]

Next, he faced Marcos Rogério de Lima on November 7, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira. He defeated Lima with the first forearm choke in UFC history, on the first round, to claim Performance of the Night honors. [12]

Romanov faced Juan Espino on April 17, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum. [13] During the beginning of the third round, Espino accidentally connected with a knee to the groin of Romanov, who could not continue. Romanov was declared the winner via technical split decision. [14] 6 out of 8 media scores gave it to Espino, with the other two declaring it a Draw. [15]

Romanov faced Jared Vanderaa on October 9, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez. [16] He won the fight via technical knockout in round two. [17]

Romanov was next expected to face Ilir Latifi at UFC Fight Night 202 on February 19, 2022. [18] However, the bout was cancelled for undisclosed reasons. [19]

Replacing Rodrigo Nascimento, Romanov is scheduled to face Tanner Boser on April 23, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 205. [20] However, on April 18, it was announced that Boser was out of the fight due to an injury. [21] He was replaced by Chase Sherman. [22] However, Sherman was deemed unable to compete due to a minor health issue on the day of the event and the fight was cancelled [23] and the pair was rescheduled for UFC on ESPN 35. [23] Romanov won the bout via keylock submission in the first round. [24]

Romanov faced Marcin Tybura on August 20, 2022, at UFC 278. [25] Romanov lost the fight via a controversial majority decision. [26] 17 of 18 MMA media outlets scored the bout as a draw. [27]

Romanov faced Alexander Volkov on March 11, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 221. [28] He lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round. [29]

Romanov faced Blagoy Ivanov at UFC on ESPN 48 on 1 July 2023. [30] He won the fight by unanimous decision. [31]

Romanov is scheduled to face Jailton Almeida on June 1, 2024 at UFC 302. [32]

Professional grappling career

Romanov competed against Chris Daukaus at Fury Pro Grappling 8 on December 30, 2023. [33] Romanov won the match by decision. [34]

Personal life

Romanov was born to a Russian father and Ukrainian mother and raised in Moldova. [35] He and his wife have three children. [36]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
19 matches17 wins2 losses
By knockout61
By submission90
By decision21
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Win17–2 Blagoy Ivanov Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov July 1, 202335:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss16–2 Alexander Volkov TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili March 11, 202312:16 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss16–1 Marcin Tybura Decision (majority) UFC 278 August 20, 202235:00 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Win16–0 Chase Sherman Submission (keylock) UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Vera April 30, 202212:11 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win15–0 Jared Vanderaa TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez October 9, 202124:43 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win14–0 Juan Espino Technical Decision (split) UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum April 17, 202131:05 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesAccidental knee to the groin rendered Romanov unable to continue.
Win13–0 Marcos Rogério de Lima Technical Submission (forearm choke) UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira November 7, 202014:48 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesPerformance of the Night.
Win12–0 Roque Martinez Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill September 12, 202024:22 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win11–0Sérgio FreitasTKO (submission to injury)Eagles FC 11February 16, 201912:28 Chișinău, Moldova
Win10–0Sultan MurtazalievTKO (punches)Eagles FC 10November 3, 201832:17 Chișinău, Moldova
Win9–0 Virgil Zwicker Submission (neck crank)S-70: Plotforma Cup 2018August 22, 201811:15 Sochi, Russia
Win8–0Ion GrigoreSubmission (forearm choke)Eagles FC 9May 26, 201813:54 Chișinău, MoldovaOpenweight bout.
Win7–0Alexander StolyarovTKO (punches)Eagles FC 8February 10, 201810:36 Chișinău, MoldovaWon the EFC Heavyweight Championship.
Win6–0Ravshankhon KhusanovTKO (punches)Eagles FC 7November 4, 201711:37 Chișinău, Moldova
Win5–0Yuri GorbenkoSubmission (forearm choke)Eagles FC 6June 24, 201713:43 Chișinău, Moldova
Win4–0Evgeniy GolubTKO (punches)Eagles FC 5May 20, 201710:48 Chișinău, Moldova
Win3–0Shota BetlemidzeSubmission (rear-naked choke)ProFC Ukraine: Brave HeartsApril 8, 201714:56 Nikolaev, Ukraine
Win2–0Andrey BurdiniukSubmission (neck crank)Eagles FC 4February 18, 201730:43 Chișinău, Moldova
Win1–0Yuriy ProtsenkoSubmission (rear-naked choke)Eagles FC 3November 19, 201610:50 Chișinău, MoldovaHeavyweight debut.

[37]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrei Arlovski</span> Belarusian mixed martial arts fighter

Andrei Arlovski is a Belarusian-American professional mixed martial artist, actor and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and holds the record for most wins (23) in UFC heavyweight history. Arlovski has also competed for Strikeforce, WSOF, Affliction, EliteXC, ONE FC and M-1 Challenge.

Blagoy Ivanov is a Bulgarian mixed martial artist and Sambo practitioner who competes in the Heavyweight division. Having previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he was also the 2008 Combat Sambo World Champion and the former World Series of Fighting Heavyweight champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Volkov (fighter)</span> Russian mixed martial artist (born 1988)

Alexander Yevgenyevich Volkov is a Russian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional MMA competitor since 2009, Volkov previously competed for the M-1 Global promotion, as well as Bellator MMA. He is a former heavyweight champion in both promotions. As of May 14, 2024, he is #5 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.

Maxim Gennadievich Grishin is a Russian professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competes in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional since 2008, he has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and was the former M-1 Global Eastern Europe Heavyweight Champion.

Philipe Lins is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who formerly competed in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He won the 2018 Professional Fighters League heavyweight tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derrick Lewis</span> American mixed martial artist (born 1985)

Derrick Lewis is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he currently holds the record for most knockouts in UFC history. A professional competitor since 2010, Lewis has also competed for Bellator MMA and Legacy FC, where he was the Heavyweight Champion. As of May 14, 2024, he is #10 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilir Latifi</span> Swedish mixed martial arts fighter

Ilir Latifi is a Swedish mixed martial artist who fights in the Heavyweight division, most recently in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A two-time national wrestling champion and a professional MMA competitor since 2008, Latifi has also competed in Shark Fights, Rumble of The Kings, and GLORY.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcos Rogério de Lima</span> Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter

Marcos Rogério de Lima is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2009, he formerly competed for Strikeforce, Shooto, and was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3. As of February 20, 2024, he is #14 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.

Augusto dos Santos Sakai is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Bellator MMA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcin Tybura</span> Polish mixed martial arts fighter

Marcin Tybura is a Polish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, Tybura previously fought for M-1 and was an M-1 Global Heavyweight Champion and M-1 Grand Prix 2013 Heavyweight Champion. As of March 19, 2024, he is #8 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.

Chase Sherman is an American professional mixed martial artist and former bare-knuckle boxer. A professional MMA competitor since 2014, he has competed for the UFC and Titan FC.

Ryan Spann is an American mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2013, he has also fought for the Legacy Fighting Alliance, where he was the Light Heavyweight Champion.

Serghei Spivac is a Moldovan mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2014, he has also formerly competed for World Warriors Fighting Championships, Eagles Fighting Championship, N1 Pro Nomad MMA and Real Fight Promotion. As of March 26, 2024, he is #9 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.

Justin Tafa is an Australian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Tanner Boser is a Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has mostly fought as a heavyweight, with occasional bouts as a light heavyweight. He had previously competed for Unified MMA, where he won the Unified MMA Heavyweight Championship twice. He has also competed in M-1 Global and King of the Cage.

Chris Daukaus is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the older brother of former UFC fighter Kyle Daukaus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Aspinall</span> English mixed martial arts fighter (born 1993)

Thomas Paul Aspinall is an English professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. As of 30 April 2024, he is #12 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.

Rodrigo Nascimento Ferreira is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of February 20, 2024, he is #15 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan Espino</span> Spanish mixed martial arts fighter

Juan Espino is a Spanish retired mixed martial artist who competed in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Jared Vanderaa is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

References

  1. ↑ "Stats - UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  2. ↑ "UFC Rankings | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  3. ↑ "Romanov, Alexandr (MDA)". United World Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2021-05-13.
  4. 1 2 "Alexandr Romanov - UFC". www.ufc.com. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  5. 1 2 Blaine Henry (April 29, 2022). "Alexandr Romanov: "Without losses or moments of weakness, there are no victories"". Fight-Library.com.
  6. ↑ Bitter, Shawn (2019-10-03). "UFC Signs Heavyweight Alexander "King Kong" Romanov". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  7. ↑ Lee, Alexander K. (2020-02-25). "Alan Patrick vs. Christos Giagos, Raphael Pessoa vs. Alexander Romanov added to UFC Lincoln". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  8. ↑ Marrocco, Steven (2020-04-20). "UFC officially updates status on four events due to coronavirus pandemic". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  9. ↑ "Gym: Alexander Romanov was removed from UFC 251 due to positive COVID-19 tests". MMA Junkie. 2020-07-09. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  10. ↑ "UFC on ESPN+ 34 at seven fights after Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Alexander Romanov scratched". MMA Junkie. 2020-09-05. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  11. ↑ Doherty, Dan (2020-09-12). "UFC Vegas 10 Results: Alexander Romanov Runs Through Roque Martinez". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  12. 1 2 Doherty, Dan (2020-11-07). "UFC Vegas 13 Results: Alexander Romanov Hits First Forearm Choke in UFC History". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  13. ↑ DNA, MMA (2021-04-03). "Juan Espino en Alexandr Romanov treffen elkaar op 17 april". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  14. ↑ Behunin, Alex (April 17, 2021). "UFC Vegas 24 Results: Low Blow Sends Alexander Romanov vs. Juan Espino to Scorecards Early". Cageside. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Alexander Romanov def. Juan Espino :: UFC on ESPN 22 :: MMA Decisions". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  16. ↑ Dorff, Marcel (2021-07-09). "Alexandr Romanov vs. Jared Vanderaa toegevoegd aan UFC evenement op 9 oktober". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  17. ↑ Behunin, Alex (2021-10-09). "UFC Vegas 39 Results: Alexander Romanov Pounds Out Jared Vanderaa". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  18. ↑ Anderson, Jay. "UFC: Ilir Latifi vs. Alexander Romanov Announced for February 19". Cageside Press. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  19. ↑ Anderson, Jay (2022-02-04). "With Romanov Fight Off, Ilir Latifi Gets Aleksei Oleinik at UFC Columbus". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  20. ↑ Marcel Dorff (2022-03-22). "UFC Vegas 52 Romanov fills in for Nascimento against Boser". Eurosport (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-03-23.
  21. ↑ Lee, Alexander K. (2022-04-18). "Tanner Boser out of Alexander Romanov fight at UFC Vegas 52". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  22. ↑ Damon Martin (2022-04-19). "With Tanner Boser out, Alexandr Romanov now faces Chase Sherman at UFC Vegas 52". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  23. 1 2 Mike Heck (2022-04-23). "Chase Sherman late scratch from UFC Vegas 52 bout with Alexandr Romanov". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  24. ↑ Behunin, Alex (2022-04-30). "UFC Vegas 53: Alexander Romanov Smashes, Submits Chase Sherman Early". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  25. ↑ Critchfield, Tristen. "Alexander Romanov vs. Marcin Tybura among multiple bouts confirmed for UFC 278". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  26. ↑ Anderson, Jay. "UFC 278: Marcin Tybura Rallies Back to Win Majority Decision Against Alexander Romanov". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  27. ↑ "MMADecisions.com". MMADecisions.com. 2022-08-20. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  28. ↑ ATSteveDuncan (2023-01-24). "Alexander Volkov vs. Alexander Romanov agregado a UFC Vegas 71". MMA.uno , #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español. (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2023-01-24. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  29. ↑ Val Dewar (2023-03-11). "UFC Las Vegas: Alexander Volkov melts Alexandr Romanov in first round". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  30. ↑ Nolan King; Farah Hannoun (June 1, 2023). "UFC heavyweights Blagoy Ivanov, Alexandr Romanov set to collide July 1". MMAjunkie.com . Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  31. ↑ Theodosi, Jamie (2023-07-01). "UFC Vegas 76: Alexandr Romanov Returns to Win Column With Dominant Display Over Blagoy Ivanov". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  32. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Romanov Booked for UFC 302 on June 1". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  33. ↑ Lindsey, Alex. "Fury Pro Grappling 8 Lineup Stars Top MMA Fighters And BJJ Black Belts". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  34. ↑ "Fury Pro Grappling 8 Full Results And Review". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  35. ↑ "«Я русский, но не россиянин». Александр Романов — новый тяж в UFC - 3 марта 2020 - Sport24". sport24.ru.
  36. ↑ Drake Riggs (January 31, 2021). Alexandr Romanov wants top 10 opponent next, sees title contention with three more wins – via YouTube.
  37. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Alexandr Romanov". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.