King Kong Undefeated

Fighter Alexander Romanov (16-0) represents Moldova in the UFC, but in an interview he proudly says that he is Russian by nationality. Father’s homeland is Veliky Novgorod. Until 2016, the oversized athlete was engaged in freestyle wrestling, but due to an injury he did not qualify for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, after which he decided to change his specialization.

In MMA, Alexander’s career is amazingly successful. For 15 fights, only once the opponent managed to reach the decision, which, however, also remained with Romanov. For finishing off an opponent in the style of ground and pound with a call punch (hitting in the style of a monkey, sitting on top of the opponent) in one of the fights, the Moldovan public dubbed him King Kong. This nickname stuck with the fighter and migrated with him to the UFC, where he started with four victories in a row.

Photo: © Jeff Bottari / Contributor / UFC / Gettyimages.ru

“Opponent wanted to fight”

The UFC on ESPN 35 tournament in Las Vegas would have been a breakthrough for Romanov if he won. The athlete would probably have been entrusted with holding the next fight in the main card. In the meantime, he was released against the American Chase Sherman (15-10) in prelims.

The US representative could create serious problems for a fighter from Moldova. In his career, he often won victories due to good striking technique, completing 14 of 15 won fights by knockouts. But Alexander approached the fight in brilliant physical shape. It was noticeable that the fighter dropped a few kilograms and was preparing to withstand the powerful blows of his opponent. But this preparation was not particularly useful to him.

The opponents spent 10 seconds in the standing position at the most. During this time, Sherman did not have time to hit Romanov even once. Alexander did not try his luck for a long time and made a pass to the legs in order to fill up the opponent on the canvas. Chase tried to resist and even stood on his feet, but Romanov immediately made a spectacular throw through the chest, dropping his opponent on his back, and covered him from above with his weight.

Photo: © Chris Unger / Contributor / UFC / Gettyimages.ru

The fight lasted about two minutes, with the overwhelming advantage of Romanov. Periodically, King Kong gave the American heavy blows to the head. After waiting for a moment, Alexander held an effective painful hold on his arm. Sherman, unable to bear the pain, gave up almost immediately.

After the victory, Romanov began to run around the cage and waved his arms, trying to stir up the silent hall in Las Vegas, but the audience was adamant. This did not greatly upset Alexander. It was evident how positive emotions overwhelmed him. In addition, he received a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the coach right in the octagon.

“For this fight, we worked a lot on kicks and punches, striking, but the opponent wanted to fight, and I showed that it was his mistake,” Romanov said in an interview after the fight.

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Alexander expressed his readiness to hold a new fight in the near future. He expressed a desire to fight Augusto Sakai. And it is unlikely that UFC bosses will have objections. Romanov is able to break into the heavyweight elite, which he proves every time he enters the octagon.