Alexandr Romanov
Born (1990-12-11) December 11, 1990
Comrat, SSR Moldova, Soviet Union
Other namesKing Kong
ResidenceComrat, Moldova
NationalityMoldovan
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight265 lb (120 kg; 18 st 13 lb)
DivisionHeavyweight
Reach75 in (191 cm)[1]
StyleWrestling
Fighting out ofComrat, Moldova
TeamLion Club
WrestlingOlympic 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
UniversityComrat State University
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing  Moldova
World University Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Çorum125 kg

Alexandr Romanov (born 11 December 1990) is a Moldovan mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler, who 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 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]

Professional grappling career

Romanov competed against Chris Daukaus at Fury Pro Grappling 8 on December 30, 2023.[32] Romanov won the match by decision.[33]

Personal life

Romanov was born to a Russian father and Ukrainian mother and raised in Moldova.[34] He and his wife have three children.[35]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
19 matches 17 wins 2 losses
By knockout 6 1
By submission 9 0
By decision 2 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
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.

[36]

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. 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. ↑ Lindsey, Alex. "Fury Pro Grappling 8 Lineup Stars Top MMA Fighters And BJJ Black Belts". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  33. ↑ "Fury Pro Grappling 8 Full Results And Review". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  34. ↑ "«Я русский, но не россиянин». Александр Романов — новый тяж в UFC - 3 марта 2020 - Sport24". sport24.ru.
  35. ↑ Drake Riggs (January 31, 2021). Alexandr Romanov wants top 10 opponent next, sees title contention with three more wins – via YouTube.
  36. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Alexandr Romanov". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
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