Roman Kopylov and Marco Tulio will meet in a middleweight bout Saturday at UFC 328 inside Prudential Center in Newark, with both fighters trying to get back in the win column. Kopylov enters as the +155 betting underdog, while Tulio is the -190 favorite.
Kopylov, a former Fight Nights Global champion before the UFC signed him in 2019, arrives on a two-fight losing streak and has gone 2-3 in his last five bouts. His recent UFC wins came against Cesar Almeida and Chris Curtis, while Anthony Hernandez, Paulo Costa and Gregory Rodrigues handed him defeats. Tulio, meanwhile, earned his roster spot in 2024 by stopping Matthieu Duclos in the second round on Dana White’s Contender Series and has won two of his three UFC fights, beating Ihor Potieria and Tresean Gore while losing only to Christian Leroy Duncan.
The matchup gives Kopylov a chance to reset after back-to-back setbacks and Tulio a chance to keep building momentum against a proven name at middleweight. It also fits the profile of a bout that can shuffle the division quickly: one fighter trying to stop a slide, the other trying to turn a strong start into something more durable.
For Kopylov, the pressure is sharper because the numbers on the board already reflect the recent skid. For Tulio, the task is simpler but not easy — prove that the Contender Series breakthrough was only the beginning and not the high point of his run.
What happens next in Newark will not settle the division, but it will say plenty about where each man belongs after Saturday night.
