The UFC 322 Prelims are heating up as we bring you another betting prediction and pick for this upcoming bout in the Middleweight (185) Division. Russia's Roman Kopylov is set to take on Brazil's Gregory Rodrigues in a fight you won't want to miss! Check our UFC 322 odds series for the Kopylov-Rodrigues prediction and pick.
Roman Kopylov (14-4) has gone 6-4 inside the UFC since 2019. After posting back-to-back wins, he lost his most recent bout to Paulo Costa in an entertaining war. Now, he'll face another willing striker looking to let his hands fly as Kopylov works back to the win column. He stands six feet tall with a 75-inch reach.
Gregory Rodrigues (17-6) has gone 8-3 since joining the UFC roster in 2021. Following a three-fight winning streak, Rodrigues is 1-1 in his last two appearances with ‘Fight of the Night' and performance bonus honors. He looks for a similar result here as the moderate betting favorite. Rodrigues stands 6-foot-3 with a 75-inch reach.
Here are the UFC 322 Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC 322 Odds: Roman Kopylov-Gregory Rodrigues Odds
Roman Kopylov: +150
Gregory Rodrigues: -180
Over 1.5 rounds: -166
Under 1.5 rounds: +130
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Roman Kopylov Will Win
- Last Fight: (L) Paulo Costa – U DEC
- Last 5: 3-2
- Finishes: 12 KO/TKO
Despite a losing effort against Paulo Costa most recently, Roman Kopylov did all he could to remain dangerous in the striking throughout all three rounds. He's much more focused on his consistency from round-to-round and although he's had a tendency to absorb unnecessary shots, Kopylov is increasingly difficult to hit when he's dictating the striking range. He'll have to deal with a slight height disadvantage during this one, but expect him to eventually gauge the distance and find the mark here.
Kopylov is extremely dangerous with his kicking game and should be looking to throw them against a reactionary fighter like Rodrigues. His opponent will be waiting for the counter-strike and winding up his power shots, so Kopylov may have some slight openings to land his head kicks if the opportunities present themselves.
Furthermore, Kopylov is the more active striker and while Rodrigues may have a tough defensive guard to break, Kopylov does a great job of mixing things up to the body and forcing opponents to drop their hands. During this fight, the big body shots could spell the difference in actually hurting Rodrigues versus just touching him up on the face.
Why Gregory Rodrigues Will Win
- Last Fight: (W) Jack Hermansson – KO (left hook , R1)
- Last 5: 4-1
- Finishes: 10 KO/TKO, 4 SUB
Gregory Rodrigues showed his worth as one of the UFC's most exciting knockout artists with a quick finish over Jack Hermansson. Rodrigues' power seemed to be on a different level that night and he won the fight in a similar fashion to previous wins where he's walked his opponent down. Expect Rodrigues to implement a similar game plan as he looks to “walk through” Kopylov with his physical presence.
Rodrigues is at his best when forcing opponents on the back foot and forcing them to make quick decisions while retreating. At 6-foot-3, he's relatively big for the weight class and does a great job imposing his physicality on opponents, especially in the clinch and along the fence. However, Rodrigues will have the remain active with his offense if he wants a chance at hurting Kopylov during this one.
Rodrigues will also have the slight advantage in the grappling thanks to his four wins by submission. Kopylov isn't much of a grappler and although he sports an 87% takedown defense rate, Rodrigues' pure strength could be enough to force this fight to the ground. From there, expect “RoboCop” to be in a completely different world when controlling his opponent and landing ground-and-pound.
Final Roman Kopylov-Gregory Rodrigues Prediction & Pick
This fight has “banger” written all over it as both men have 22 combined KO/TKO victories between them. Rodrigues comes in following a resounding win and confident to do the same as the betting favorite here. Kopylov comes in off a loss to Paulo Costa, but he's certainly fought the better competition up to this point.
Roman Kopylov will be the more accurate striker from inside the pocket, but Rodrigues is usually flush on his punches when throwing from the clinch or in-close. Expect both fighters to get rocked at some point of this fight as they're bound to trade heavy shots from inside the pocket.
Gregory Rodrigues will have the physical advantages during this fight and I can see Kopylov struggling to hit the target against Rodrigues' imposing style. If Rodrigues has Kopylov hurt for even a second, he has to be a favorite to finish the fight in that situation.
Ultimately, we're going to roll with Gregory Rodrigues to prevail in what should be a “Fight of the Night” candidate for UFC 322.
Final Roman Kopylov-Gregory Rodrigues Prediction & Pick: Gregory Rodrigues (-180); OVER 1.5 Rounds (-166)
