Ateba Gautier is moving up a level. The 24-year-old Cameroonian, 11-1 and unbeaten in 5 UFC fights, faces Russia’s Roman Kopylov, 35 and 15-5, on the UFC 332 main card on Saturday, October 3, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Gautier has finished 4 of his 5 UFC opponents. Kopylov is one of the hardest men in the division to take down.
Key takeaways
- Ateba Gautier (11-1) faces Roman Kopylov (15-5) at middleweight on the UFC 332 main card on October 3 in Salt Lake City.
- Gautier, 24, is 5-0 in the UFC with 4 stoppages, 3 of them in round 1, and 2 performance bonuses. His only loss came in 2022.
- Kopylov, 35, beat Marco Tulio on the scorecards in May after losses to Paulo Costa and Gregory Rodrigues.
Ateba Gautier, 10 wins in a row
From the Contender Series to the UFC
Trained at Manchester Top Team in England, Gautier earned his contract on the Contender Series in September 2024 by stopping Yura Naito in round 2.
4 stoppages in 5 fights
In the UFC he knocked out José Medina, Robert Valentin and Tre’ston Vines in round 1, beat Andrey Pulyaev on points in January, then stopped Osman Diaz in round 2 in May. He has 2 performance bonuses.
A single loss
His only defeat came on July 23, 2022, a split decision against Glenn Williams at Budo FC in Wales. He has won his 10 fights since.
Roman Kopylov, the veteran who will not be wrestled
15-5 and 7-5 in the UFC
The 35-year-old Russian southpaw is 15-5 and 7-5 in the UFC. He holds the best takedown defense in UFC middleweight history, at 88.9%.
An up and down run
After a head kick knockout of Chris Curtis in January 2025, he lost decisions to Paulo Costa and Gregory Rodrigues before beating Marco Tulio in May.
Same night as Gautier
Kopylov and Gautier each won on May 9 at UFC 328. They meet in the same cage 5 months later.
I'm not at Saturday yet, but what I can say is that I'm gonna win the fight, for sure
What Ateba Gautier has at stake at UFC 332
The step up
Gautier has never faced an opponent this experienced. A win over a former ranked fighter would bring him close to the middleweight top 15.
A spoiler role for Kopylov
For Kopylov, beating an unbeaten 24-year-old would revive his standing at middleweight after an uneven year.
Follow the fight
Gautier’s and Kopylov’s records and our weekly middleweight rating are in the FightHub app, with the result as soon as the fight ends.
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