One UFC 318 fighter delivered a knockout so devastating that it might have even outdone Justin Gaethje’s BMF title-winning finish.
Following this year’s edition of International Fight Week, which concluded with Ilia Topuria knocking out Charles Oliveira to become a two-division champion, attention will soon turn to the UFC’s July pay-per-view offering.
The next numbered event takes place in New Orleans on July 19. Instead of a divisional title, UFC 318 will be topped by Dustin Poirier’s retirement fight against Max Holloway.
The card as a whole has been criticized by many fans and analysts, but there are still some exciting names who will look to put on memorable action at Smoothie King Center. And that includes a man who delivered one of the most brutal knockouts in recent memory.
Roman Kopylov viciously knocked out Claudio Ribeiro with ‘the most perfect kick’ at UFC 291
UFC 291 in July 2023 is largely remembered for Justin Gaethje knocking out Dustin Poirier in their main event rematch to win the symbolic BMF title.
But for many, that wasn’t even the best head-kick KO of the night.
During the preliminary card, Roman Kopylov delivered a highlight for the ages by sleeping Claudio Ribeiro with a thunderous head kick 33 seconds into the second round.
The vicious move saw comparisons drawn with Leon Edwards’ comeback finish against Kamaru Usman to win the welterweight title in the previous year.
The PPV commentary team of Jon Anik, Joe Rogan, and Daniel Cormier unsurprisingly went crazy. While the play-by-play lead jumped to his feet, ‘DC’ had his hands on his head while leaning on a shellshocked Rogan.
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The knockout quickly went viral and sparked plenty of reactions from the MMA community.
“That is the most perfect kick I’ve ever seen.”
“That is nasty.”
“Leon kick?”
“Folded.”
“Kopylov is so good.”
Roman Kopylov welcomes Paulo Costa back to action at UFC 318
Since a submission setback to Anthony Hernandez in early 2024 stalled his rise, Kopylov has reeled off two consecutive wins to get back on track.
After Kopylov stopped Chris Curtis in the last second of their fight at the very first event of 2025 with yet another head kick, the Russian has earned a shot at the rankings.
The 34-year-old will have the chance to climb the ladder at UFC 318 when he faces former title challenger Paulo Costa in the co-main event.
In the five years since losing his undefeated status against Israel Adesanya, ‘Borrachinha’ has won just one of his four fights. After suffering defeat in lackluster fashion against Sean Strickland last time out, Costa is in desperate need of a bounce-back or else he’ll likely find himself without a number next to his name.