5 Things You Might Not Know About Roman Kopylov

Preview: Di Chirico vs. Kopylov

Roman Kopylov needs to establish a foothold in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division before the opportunity he long sought slips through his hands.

The heavy-handed sambo practitioner will square off with Alessio Di Chirico in a featured UFC Fight Night 209 attraction this Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris, where neither man can afford another misstep. Kopylov enters the Octagon on the heels of back-to-back losses. He has not competed since he was outpointed to a three-round unanimous decision by former Absolute Championship Berkut titleholder Albert Duraev at UFC 267 on Oct. 30.

As Kopylov approaches his critical confrontation with Di Chirico…