Roman Kopylov is nine fights into his UFC career, and after dropping his first two appearances, the 34-year-old Russian middleweight has put together a 6-1 record over his last seven bouts to earn a place in the Top 15.
Not bad for someone that still doesn’t feel fully at home inside the Octagon yet.
“When I fought in amateur hand-to-hand combat, I was super calm and confident; I knew this game perfectly,” began Kopylov, who faces off with Paulo Costa on Saturday’s UFC 318 pay-per-view main card at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans when asked about his general development over the course of his UFC tenure.