Alexander Romanov (fighter)

Early in his career after his stint in wrestling, Romanov found Chesea Eduard, a Muay Thai coach. Eduard brought Romanov into the sport of MMA and remains his coach to this day.[5]

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.[6]

Romanov signed with the UFC on October 3, 2019, and was later scheduled to make his debut against Raphael Pessoa on April 25, 2020.[7] However, the event was subsequently cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

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.[9] 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.[10]

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.[11]

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.[12]

Romanov faced Juan Espino on April 17, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum.[13] 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.[14] 6 out of 8 media scores gave it to Espino, with the other two declaring it a Draw.[15]

Romanov faced Jared Vanderaa on October 9, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez.[16] He won the fight via technical knockout in round two.[17]

Romanov was next expected to face Ilir Latifi at UFC Fight Night 202 on February 19, 2022.[18] However, the bout was cancelled for undisclosed reasons.[19]

Replacing Rodrigo Nascimento, Romanov is scheduled to face Tanner Boser on April 23, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 205.[20] However, on April 18, it was announced that Boser was out of the fight due to an injury.[21] He was replaced by Chase Sherman.[22] However, Sherman was deemed unable to compete due to a minor health issue on the day of the event and the fight was cancelled[23] and the pair was rescheduled for UFC on ESPN 35.[24] Romanov won the bout via keylock submission in the first round.[25]

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Marcos Rogério de Lima[12]
• Eagles Fighting Championship
  • EFC Heavyweight Championship (One time)