Alexander Romanov (fighter)

Alexander Romanov (born 11 December 1990) is a Moldovan professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of July 4, 2023, he is #13 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.

Wrestling career
Romanov started training in freestyle wrestling at age seven. He has made four Moldovan World Teams (two as a senior and two as a junior) and eight European Teams (five as a senior, three as an age-group wrestler). His best result has been a bronze medal at the 2016 World University Championships. His last performance to date took place at the 2020 European Wrestling Championships, where he placed twelfth. He is also a two-time UWW grappling European bronze medalist.

Romanov studied at law faculty of Comrat State University and pedagogical faculty of Chișinău Sport Institute.

Alexandr Romanov also competed in sumo for a brief time. While his time in the sport was not long, he won silver in the OPEN European Cup in 2016.

Early career
Early in his career after his stint in wrestling, Romanov found Chelsea Edward, a Muay Thai coach. Edward brought Romanov into the sport of MMA and remains his coach to this day.

Romanov compiled a record of 11 wins and no losses while competing in his native Moldova, primarily at Eagles Fighting Championship, where he became the heavyweight champion.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Romanov signed with the UFC on October 3, 2019, and was later scheduled to make his debut against Raphael Pessoa on April 25, 2020. However, the event was subsequently cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Romanov was then slated to face Marcin Tybura on July 12, 2020, at UFC 251. However, Romanov was removed from the card on July 1, due to a positive COVID-19 test. He was then scheduled to face Marcos Rogério de Lima on September 5, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Sakai, but the bout was scratched the day of the event when Lima tested positive for COVID-19.

Romanov eventually made his debut on September 12, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill, when he defeated Roque Martinez via arm-triangle choke in the second round.

Next, he faced Marcos Rogério de Lima on November 7, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira. He defeated Lima with the first forearm choke in UFC history, on the first round, to claim Performance of the Night honors.

Romanov faced Juan Espino on April 17, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum. During the beginning of the third round, Espino accidentally connected with a knee to the groin of Romanov, who could not continue. Romanov was declared the winner via technical split decision. 6 out of 8 media scores gave it to Espino, with the other two declaring it a Draw.

Romanov faced Jared Vanderaa on October 9, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two.

Romanov was next expected to face Ilir Latifi at UFC Fight Night 202 on February 19, 2022. However, the bout was cancelled for undisclosed reasons.

Replacing Rodrigo Nascimento, Romanov is scheduled to face Tanner Boser on April 23, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 205. However, on April 18, it was announced that Boser was out of the fight due to an injury. He was replaced by Chase Sherman. However, Sherman was deemed unable to compete due to a minor health issue on the day of the event and the fight was cancelled and the pair was rescheduled for UFC on ESPN 35. Romanov won the bout via keylock submission in the first round.

Romanov faced Marcin Tybura on August 20, 2022, at UFC 278. Romanov lost the fight via a controversial majority decision. 17 of 18 MMA media outlets scored the bout as a draw.

Romanov faced Alexander Volkov on March 11, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 221. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round.

Romanov faced Blagoy Ivanov at UFC on ESPN 48 on 1 July 2023. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Romanov faced Jailton Almeida on June 1, 2024 at UFC 302. He lost in the first round via rear-naked choke in his first submission loss.

Professional grappling career
Romanov competed against Chris Daukaus at Fury Pro Grappling 8 on December 30, 2023. Romanov won the match by decision.

Personal life
Romanov was born to a Russian father and Ukrainian mother and raised in Moldova. He and his wife have three children.

Mixed martial arts

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Marcos Rogério de Lima
 * Eagles Fighting Championship
 * Eagles FC Heavyweight Championship (One time)