Photo: Roman Kopylov suffered gruesome cut during knockout win over Chris Curtis at UFC Vegas 101
Roman Kopylov scored an impressive, albeit somewhat controversial win over Chris Curtis at UFC Vegas 101, but he didn’t leave without adding a new scar to his collection.
While he ultimately delivered a head kick knockout with just one-second remaining in the fight, Kopylov had to battle through some adversity after Curtis opened a nasty gash over his eye that had blood pouring down his face.
It wasn’t until afterwards that the full damage was revealed with UFC CEO Dana White posting a before and after photo showing off the cut over Kopylov’s eye and then with the stiches used to close the wound. UFC CEO Dana White posted the photos of Kopylov’s cut and the aftermath on his Instagram on Saturday.
Of course, Kopylov assuredly prefers going home with a cut over his eye but a win on his record after he dished out a lot of punishment in the third round before getting the stoppage late in the fight.
The back-and-forth battle ended with Kopylov hurting Curtis with a punch but then uncorking a head kick that dropped the veteran middleweight to the canvas. Kopylov immediately turned and walked away and with Curtis clearly dazed from the head kick, the referee decided to stop the fight with one second left on the clock.
Curtis then protested the stoppage but the damage was already done.
If there’s any consolation prize, it’s that both Kopylov and Curtis are heading home with an extra $50,000 after earning Fight of the Night honors at UFC Vegas 101.