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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]

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 Chelsea Edward, a Muay Thai coach. Edward 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 faced Jailton Almeida on June 1, 2024 at UFC 302.[32] He lost in the first round via rear-naked choke in his first submission loss.[33]

Professional grappling career

Romanov competed against Chris Daukaus at Fury Pro Grappling 8 on December 30, 2023.[34] Romanov won the match by decision.[35]

Personal life

Romanov was born to a Russian father and Ukrainian mother and raised in Moldova.[36] He and his wife have three children.[37]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
20 matches 17 wins 3 losses
By knockout 6 1
By submission 9 1
By decision 2 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 17–3 Jailton Almeida Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 302 June 1, 2024 1 2:27 Newark, New Jersey, United States
Win 17–2 Blagoy Ivanov Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov July 1, 2023 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 16–2 Alexander Volkov TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili March 11, 2023 1 2:16 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 16–1 Marcin Tybura Decision (majority) UFC 278 August 20, 2022 3 5:00 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Win 16–0 Chase Sherman Submission (keylock) UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Vera April 30, 2022 1 2:11 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 15–0 Jared Vanderaa TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez October 9, 2021 2 4:43 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 14–0 Juan Espino Technical Decision (split) UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum April 17, 2021 3 1:05 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Accidental knee to the groin rendered Romanov unable to continue.
Win 13–0 Marcos Rogério de Lima Technical Submission (forearm choke) UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira November 7, 2020 1 4:48 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 12–0 Roque Martinez Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill September 12, 2020 2 4:22 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 11–0 Sérgio Freitas TKO (submission to injury) Eagles FC 11 February 16, 2019 1 2:28 Chișinău, Moldova
Win 10–0 Sultan Murtazaliev TKO (punches) Eagles FC 10 November 3, 2018 3 2:17 Chișinău, Moldova
Win 9–0 Virgil Zwicker Submission (neck crank) S-70: Plotforma Cup 2018 August 22, 2018 1 1:15 Sochi, Russia
Win 8–0 Ion Grigore Submission (forearm choke) Eagles FC 9 May 26, 2018 1 3:54 Chișinău, Moldova Openweight bout.
Win 7–0 Alexander Stolyarov TKO (punches) Eagles FC 8 February 10, 2018 1 0:36 Chișinău, Moldova Won the EFC Heavyweight Championship.
Win 6–0 Ravshankhon Khusanov TKO (punches) Eagles FC 7 November 4, 2017 1 1:37 Chișinău, Moldova
Win 5–0 Yuri Gorbenko Submission (forearm choke) Eagles FC 6 June 24, 2017 1 3:43 Chișinău, Moldova
Win 4–0 Evgeniy Golub TKO (punches) Eagles FC 5 May 20, 2017 1 0:48 Chișinău, Moldova
Win 3–0 Shota Betlemidze Submission (rear-naked choke) ProFC Ukraine: Brave Hearts April 8, 2017 1 4:56 Nikolaev, Ukraine
Win 2–0 Andrey Burdiniuk Submission (neck crank) Eagles FC 4 February 18, 2017 3 0:43 Chișinău, Moldova
Win 1–0 Yuriy Protsenko Submission (rear-naked choke) Eagles FC 3 November 19, 2016 1 0:50 Chișinău, Moldova Heavyweight debut.

[38]

See also

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. ^ a b "Alexandr Romanov - UFC". www.ufc.com. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  5. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ Dewar, Val (2024-06-02). "UFC 302: Jailton Almeida Proves He Belongs in Top 10, Runs Through Alexander Romanov". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  34. ^ Lindsey, Alex. "Fury Pro Grappling 8 Lineup Stars Top MMA Fighters And BJJ Black Belts". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  35. ^ "Fury Pro Grappling 8 Full Results And Review". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  36. ^ "«Я русский, но не россиянин». Александр Романов — новый тяж в UFC - 3 марта 2020 - Sport24". sport24.ru.
  37. ^ Drake Riggs (January 31, 2021). Alexandr Romanov wants top 10 opponent next, sees title contention with three more wins – via YouTube.
  38. ^ Sherdog.com. "Alexandr Romanov". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-10-10.

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