MMA

Match Preview

Gambling

News

Chris Curtis vs Roman Kopylov Preview: Odds, Tips and Predictions

In this article, we will provide fight analysis, odds and betting tips for the upcoming UFC middleweight clash between Chris Curtis and Roman Kopylov. Date: January 11th 2025 Venue: UFC Apex Main Card Start Time: 8PM ET

Jake Staniland

Sports Writer

Last updated: 2025-01-10

Fact checked by:

Chad Nagel

Sports & Betting Editor

5 minutes read

SportsBoom offers honest and impartial bookmaker reviews to help you make informed choices. While we may earn commissions through affiliate links, our content remains independent and free from promotional influence. For more information, see our Content Transparency and How We Review pages.

Roman Kopylov of Russia punches Cesar Almeida of Brazil

Roman Kopylov punches Cesar Almeida//Getty Images

Table of Contents

We are now into the second week of 2025, and after a short break, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns with a Fight Night card which is headlined by Mackenzie Dern vs Amanda Ribas in the strawweight division.

But here at SportsBoom, we want to focus on the co-main event which sees Chris Curtis take on Roman Kopylov at middleweight on January 11th at the UFC Apex. For UFC betting insights and tips, we have put together a betting preview for you.

For both fighters, a win in early 2025 could lead to big things in the 185-pounds weight class as both could earn a top 15 ranking, especially with a dominant performance.

This fight has all the makings to be a highly entertaining matchup, and this provides UFC fans to get in on the action via online gambling ‐ you can visit some of the best bookmaker websites here.

Pre-Fight Odds and Win Probability

Chris Curtis: 21/10 (3.10) - 32.26%
Roman Kopylov: 37/100 (1.37) - 73%
Odds courtesy of Stake (subject to change)*

Last Five Fights

Chris Curtis

10/12/22: Chris Curtis def Joaquin Buckley via KO in Round 2
8/4/23: Kelvin Gastelum def Chris Curtis via Decision
10/6/23: Chris Curtis vs Nassourdine Imavov ends via No Contest
20/1/24: Chris Curtis def Marc-Andre Barriault via Decision
6/4/24: Brendan Allen def Chris Curtis via Decision

Roman Kopylov

14/1/23: Roman Kopylov def Punahele Soriano via TKO in Round 2
29/7/23: Roman Kopylov def Claudio Ribiero via KO in Round 2
16/9/23: Roman Kopylov def Josh Fremd via KO in Round 2
17/2/24: Anthony Hernandez def Roman Kopylov via Sub in Round 2
1/6/24: Roman Kopylov def Cesar Almeida via Decision

Chris Curtis News

Chris Curtis has no injury news heading into this bout. However, there is some interesting news to report; back in December, Curtis claimed on social media that Roman Kopylov's team sent two spies into Curtis’ training camp.

Strategy: Chris Curtis will need to neutralise Roman Kopylov’s aggressive pressure and maybe even use it against him.

Roman Kopylov News

Roman Kopylov has no injury news heading into this bout.

Strategy: The Russian will use his cardio and his explosive striking to dictate the pace of this fight.

Suggested Bets

If you love betting on MMA, here are some bets you can place at some of the top UFC sportsbooks.

Roman Kopylov to Win Outright (Odds at 1.40, 2/5, 71.4% - via Betway): Whilst the odds for this are short, Roman Kopylov winning by any means is a very safe play this weekend. Kopylov, at 1.40, could be placed into a multiple if you want to boost the odds.
Roman Kopylov by Decision (Odds at 1.95, 19/20, 51.28% - via Betway): Roman Kopylov has the ability to dictate the pace of this fight with his excellent kickboxing skills. And, he enters this bout off the back of a decision win, while Chris Curtis recently lost via decision.
Roman Kopylov Not to Win by Decision (Odds at 1.75, 3/4, 57.1% - via Betway): Betway offer an interesting market, and we have selected this market for Roman Kopylov. “Roman Kopylov Not to Win by Decision” essentially means you are relying on Kopylov to win inside the distance, or for Chris Curtis to win the fight by any means necessary, or for the fight to be a draw.

Value Bets

Here are some value bets to consider for this upcoming UFC bout.

Roman Kopylov to Win by KO/TKO or DQ (Odds at 4.50, 9/2, 18.2% - via Betway): Heading into this fight, Roman Kopylov has claimed three KO/TKO victories in his last five bouts. The Russian has the striking advantage, and seemingly power advantage in this matchup, so Chris Curtis could be in for a long night.
Roman Kopylov to Win in Round 2 (Odds at 10.00, 9/1, 10% - via Betway): If you look back at Kopylov's fights, he really starts to cook in the second round of fights, after gauging the range and rhythm of his opponent midway through the first round. If you also look at his last five fights, all three of his KO/TKO wins in that time came in the second round. At these odds, that seems one to consider.
Chris Curtis to Win Outright (Odds at 3.00, 2/1, 33.3% - via Betway): Everybody loves an underdog story, right? While Chris Curtis is the rightful underdog in this bout, he absolutely has a chance to cause the upset. Curtis has really good boxing ability, so perhaps he can time a big shot as Kopylov throws a leg kick for example.

Prediction: Roman Kopylov to Win

Fans like the way Chris Curtis fights, and we like his no-nonsense demeanour, however, we feel like Roman Kopylov has an extra gear to go to in this bout. Roman Kopylov has excellent kickboxing skills which can do damage in so many different ways to Curtis. With the American fighter being more boxing orientated, more weight will be put on his base, which means Kopylov can beat up his lead leg and slow him down.

Jake Staniland Sports Writer

Jake Staniland is a sports writer who excels in covering a wide range of sports: football, combat sports and the NFL - All three subjects are his lifelong passions.

Jake is a boyhood Sheffield United fan, which is often a curse that he thanks his family for. His favourite Blades player ever is Billy Sharp