Brunno Ferreira is in need of a new opponent for UFC Vegas 96 after Roman Kopylov pulled out of the Aug. 24 event for undisclosed reasons, according to sources familiar with the situation. Ferreira broke the news on social media.
The UFC has not yet officially announced Kopylov’s withdrawal or a possible replacement to take on Ferreira at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The Brazilian middleweight mentioned to Sherdog that Abdul Razak Alhassan could potentially step in as a replacement.
“My fight with Roman Kopylov is canceled, much to the delight of many,” Ferreira stated in a video posted on Instagram. “When I say that Russians don’t want to fight me, that’s the absolute truth. This is the second time already. If they’re so good at grappling, why won’t they fight me?
“Shara [Magomedov] only wants to strike, and now Roman Kopylov is the same. They only want to stand and bang, but they know I’m dangerous on the ground and have knockout power as well.”
Ferreira, with a record of 12-1, secured consecutive bonus-winning finishes over Phil Hawes and Dustin Stoltzfus in 2024, elevating his UFC record to 3-1. All of his wins in the promotion have been first-round knockouts. “Hulk” was slated to fight Alhassan in 2023, but Alhassan ultimately withdrew from the bout.
Damon Martin contributed to this report