Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov Prediction on January 12, 2025

Match info

American fighter Chris Curtis will face Russian Roman Kopylov in one of the main card bouts at the men’s MMA event UFC Vegas 101 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, in the evening (7 p.m. local time) of Saturday, January 11, at UFC Apex.

The fight will take place in the middleweight division and is scheduled fourth within the main card. According to the top UFC betting sites’ odds, Kopylov is the favorite.

Meeting statistics

The current form of Chris Curtis

Like his next opponent, Chris Curtis is insecure on the ground and prefers to fight standing. Prior to joining the UFC in 2021, he was the champion of the local American leagues, Absolute Action MMA and CES MMA. He has had mixed results while competing here, with five victories and three defeats.

Curtis lost to Brendan Allen and beat Marc-André Barriault in his past two bouts, both of which resulted in split decisions. Age is catching up with him (37), and Curtis of five years ago isn’t the same as Curtis that enters the cage this weekend.

He hits forcefully despite his lack of height. He’s a skilled fighter with a wealth of experience as he faced formidable opponents.

The current form of Roman Kopylov

Roman Kopylov is a former AMC Fight Nights champion and a recognized specialist in hand-to-hand fighting. He began competing in the UFC in 2019, suffering two consecutive defeats, but his career in the league took a turn for the better, as he has only lost once in his remaining fights.

The 32-year-old Russian is a prime example of the striking style; he nearly always wins via knockout. His most recent two bouts, however, are a little concerning for his fans: he narrowly overcame César Almeida by split decision after losing to Anthony Hernandez via submission.

However, his preparations for the UFC Vegas 101 are proceeding as usual, with Kopylov’s camp just making hopeful noises and his opponent’s camp acting somewhat hysterically by accusing the Russian of espionage.

It must be acknowledged that Kopylov is highly serious and has very high expectations for 2025; therefore, Curtis has cause for concern. Kopylov always attempts to end fights early, but it can be difficult when the top-tier fighters, such as Curtis, are involved. Especially because an American tends to wear out his rivals. However, as said, Kopylov is favored by odds: 1.40 on Wallacebet. Curtis is 3.00 to win the fight.

Head-to-head

These two have never locked fists before.

Match analytics

We expect an early end to the fight in Kopylov’s favor. We see the scenario of the confrontation as follows: Kopylov will work more diversely, paying special attention to punches to the body, which will sooner or later affect the speed and endurance of Curtis. And when the 37-year-old American finally slows down, then the finish will become very likely. Betting on the total under rounds market is what we recommend here.

Tip: Total – Under 2.5, with odds of 2.55 on Frapapa.