Fighter Profile: Alexandr Romanov

Background

Moldovan heavyweight known as “King Kong”, a heavily grappling-based fighter with a professional record of 19-4 and one no contest. He is a former UFC heavyweight who moved to the PFL.

Career timeline

• Entered the UFC undefeated in 2020 and won his first four bouts in the promotion before losses to Alexander Volkov, Blagoy Ivanov and Jailton Almeida.
• Moved to the PFL and reached the 2025 heavyweight world tournament final, advancing after a no contest with Valentin Moldavsky caused by a groin strike.
• Lost the 2025 PFL World Tournament heavyweight final to Oleg Popov by split decision (47-48, 49-46, 49-48) on 21 August 2025.
• Remained active into 2026, including a first-round rear-naked-choke win in March 2026 and a booking against Rodrigo Nascimento in April 2026.

Fight craft

Romanov is a clinch-and-control heavyweight: he closes distance, gets a body lock, and wears opponents down against the fence before dragging them to the mat, where he is a genuinely dangerous submission threat for the weight class. The recurring problem is conditioning — his output drops noticeably after the first two rounds, and opponents who survive his opening grappling assault have consistently found success in the later stages. The Popov final followed that pattern almost exactly.

In the modern MMA landscape

Our wider MMA analysis describes the Popov–Romanov final as a “grueling split-decision battle”, which is fair. What it does not note is that Romanov has stayed busy since, which keeps him relevant in a PFL heavyweight division short on active depth.

Return to What the Modern MMA Game Demands.

Sources

• PFL — Romanov advances to the heavyweight final after no contest with Moldavsky
• Cageside Press — Popov outpoints Romanov in the PFL heavyweight tournament final
• ESPN — Alexandr Romanov profile

Record and competitive status checked 1 August 2026.