Chris Curtis is without question the better overall fighter. He is literally the better mixed martial artist. The problem for him however is that he doesn't care about the first M in MMA. He has attempted exactly zero takedown in a UFC career that spans 10 fights. His wrestling is there for defensive purposes only which means this fight, along with all Chris Curtis fights, end up being kickboxing matches and Roman is the much better kickboxer. It's that simple. Roman Kopylov is the pick and probably looks like his -180 price tag.

Chris Curtis

Chris Curtis is a clean counter striker who at one pint had the highest takedown defense in the middleweight division. He has solid power in his hands and it comes from clean short punches which catch people off guard. He works in nice leg kicks and will touch up the body as well. He takes his time with his shots but is always moving his body to stay out of the way or to set something up. He is primarily a counter striker and who likes to fire back from the philly shell. He is coming off a very close loss to Brendan Allen where an injury late in the 5th ws likely the difference.

Roman Kopylov

Roman Kopylov is a very good kickboxer with professional experience. He picks his shots well before settling in and weaving together nice combinations. He is 5-3 in the UFC and has essentially only beaten everyone who couldn't take him down. He has an 87% takedown defense but likely won't need it in this fight. He is coming off the decision win over Cesar Almeida where a knockdown and 5 takedowns reminded us of how well rounded he can be.