Alexandr Romanov (born December 11, 1990) is a Moldovan professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

and

freestyle wrestler Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...

who competes in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

division of

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

(PFL). He has also fought in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC).

Wrestling career

Romanov started training in

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...

at age seven. He has made four Moldovan

World The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that Existence, exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk ...

Teams (two as a senior and two as a junior) and eight European Teams (five as a senior, three as an age-group wrestler). His best result has been a bronze medal at the 2016 World University Championships. His last performance to date took place at the

2020 European Wrestling Championships The 2020 European Wrestling Championships was held in Rome, Italy between 10 and 16 February 2020. Medal table Team ranking Medal summary Men's freestyle Men's Greco-Roman Women's freestyle Participating nations 498 competitor ...

, where he placed twelfth. He is also a two-time UWW

grappling Grappling is a fighting technique based on throws, trips, sweeps, clinch fighting, ground fighting and submission holds. Grappling contests often involve takedowns and ground control, and may end when a contestant concedes defeat. Shou ...

European bronze medalist. Romanov studied at law faculty of Comrat State University and pedagogical faculty of

Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ; formerly known as Kishinev) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Moldova, largest city of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the coun ...

Sport Institute. Alexandr Romanov also competed in

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...

for a brief time. While his time in the sport was not long, he won silver in the OPEN European Cup in 2016.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Early in his career after his stint in wrestling, Romanov found Chelsea Edward, a Muay Thai coach. Edward brought Romanov into the sport of MMA and remains his coach to this day. Romanov compiled a record of 11 wins and no losses while competing in his native

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

, primarily at Eagles Fighting Championship, where he became the heavyweight champion.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Romanov signed with the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

on October 3, 2019, and was later scheduled to make his debut against

Raphael Pessoa Raphael Pessoa (born March 9, 1989) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division. He also formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championshi ...

on April 25, 2020. However, the event was subsequently cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. 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 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

test. 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. Romanov eventually made his debut on September 12, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill, when he defeated

Roque Martinez Roque Martinez (born March 4, 1986) is a retired Chamorro mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight division. He has formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Rizin Fighting Federation. Background Born and raised on ...

via arm-triangle choke in the second round. 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. Romanov faced Juan Espino on April 17, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum. 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. 6 out of 8 media scores gave it to Espino, with the other two declaring it a Draw. Romanov faced Jared Vanderaa on October 9, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two. Romanov was next expected to face Ilir Latifi at UFC Fight Night 202 on February 19, 2022. However, the bout was cancelled for undisclosed reasons. Replacing Rodrigo Nascimento, Romanov is scheduled to face Tanner Boser on April 23, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 205. However, on April 18, it was announced that Boser was out of the fight due to an injury. He was replaced by Chase Sherman. However, Sherman was deemed unable to compete due to a minor health issue on the day of the event and the fight was cancelled and the pair was rescheduled for

UFC on ESPN 35 ''UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Vera'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 35'' and ''UFC Vegas 53'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 30, 2022, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Neva ...

. Romanov won the bout via keylock submission in the first round. Romanov faced Marcin Tybura on August 20, 2022, at

UFC 278 ''UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 20, 2022, at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Background The event marked the promotion' ...

. Romanov lost the fight via a controversial majority decision. 17 of 18 MMA media outlets scored the bout as a draw. Romanov faced Alexander Volkov on March 11, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 221. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round. Romanov faced

Blagoy Ivanov Blagoy Ivanov (; born October 9, 1986) is a Bulgarian mixed martial artist and Sambo practitioner who is currently signed to the PFL, but on suspension due to testing positive to anabolic steroids. He previously competed for the Ultimate Fighti ...

at UFC on ESPN 48 on 1 July 2023. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Romanov faced Jailton Almeida on June 1, 2024, at UFC 302. He lost in the first round via rear-naked choke in his first submission loss. Romanov was originally scheduled to face former

UFC Heavyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight clas ...

challenger

Derrick Lewis Derrick James Lewis (born February 7, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he currently holds the record for most knockouts i ...

on November 2, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 246. However, opponents were changed and Romanov instead faced Rodrigo Nascimento. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Despite having a recent win, on November 5, 2024, it was reported that Romanov's contract was not renewed, so he was removed from the UFC roster as a result.

Professional Fighters League

On January 27, 2025, Romanov reported at

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

account that he signed with

. On March 5, 2025, the promotion officially revealed that Romanov will join the 2025 PFL Heavyweight Tournament. In the quarterfinal, Romanov faced Timothy Johnson on May 1, 2025, at PFL 4. He won the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the first round. In the semifinals, Romanov faced

Valentin Moldavsky Valentin Igorevich Moldavsky (; born 6 February 1992) is a Russian mixed martial artist and combat sambo practitioner. He is currently competing for the PFL. He formerly competed for Bellator MMA, where he was an interim Heavyweight World Cha ...

at PFL 7 on June 27, 2025. The bout ended in a no contest after Moldavsky accidentally hit Romanov with a groin strike and he was unable to continue. Per the decision of the judges, Romanov advanced to the tournament final.

Professional grappling career

Romanov competed against Chris Daukaus at Fury Pro Grappling 8 on December 30, 2023. Romanov won the match by decision. Romanov faced Roosevelt Sousa at Pit Submission Series 7 on July 25, 2024. He lost the match by submission. Romanov competed against Dymere Rappa in the main event of Fury Pro Grappling 12 on December 28, 2024. He won the match by submission with a north south choke.

Personal life

Romanov was born to a Russian father and Ukrainian mother and raised in Moldova. He and his wife have three children. He trains with Adeboy Kechin.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Marcos Rogério de Lima * Eagles Fighting Championship ** Eagles FC Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

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, NC (accidental knee to groin) , PFL 7 (2025) , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:26 ,

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–3 , Timothy Johnson , Submission (guillotine choke) , PFL 4 (2025) , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:53 ,

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 , Rodrigo Nascimento , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Albazi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–3 , Jailton Almeida , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC 302 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:27 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

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, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–2 , Alexander Volkov , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:16 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–1 , Marcin Tybura , Decision (majority) ,

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Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–0 , Chase Sherman , Submission (keylock) , UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Vera , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:11 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–0 , Jared Vanderaa , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:43 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–0 , Juan Espino , Technical Decision (split) , UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:05 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–0 , Marcos Rogério de Lima , Technical Submission (forearm choke) , UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:48 ,

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–0 ,

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:22 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 , Sérgio Freitas , TKO (submission to injury) , Eagles FC 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:28 ,

, Moldova , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Sultan Murtazaliev , TKO (punches) , Eagles FC 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:17 ,

, Moldova , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Virgil Zwicker , Submission (neck crank) , League S-70: Plotforma Cup 2018 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 ,

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Ion Grigore , Submission (forearm choke) , Eagles FC 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:54 ,

, Moldova , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Alexander Stolyarov , TKO (punches) , Eagles FC 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:36 ,

, Moldova , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Ravshankhon Khusanov , TKO (punches) , Eagles FC 7 , , align=Center, 1 , align=center, 1:37 ,

, Moldova , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Yuri Gorbenko , Submission (forearm choke) , Eagles FC 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:43 ,

, Moldova , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Evgeniy Golub , TKO (punches) , Eagles FC 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:48 ,

, Moldova , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Shota Betlemidze , Submission (rear-naked choke) , ProFC Ukraine: Brave Hearts , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:56 , Nikolaev, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Andrey Burdiniuk , Submission (neck crank) , Eagles FC 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:43 ,

, Moldova , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Yuriy Protsenko , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Eagles FC 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:50 ,

, Moldova ,

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Romanov, Alexandr 1990 births Living people Moldovan male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Sumo Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Moldovan male sport wrestlers Wrestlers at the 2015 European Games Moldovan practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu 21st-century Moldovan sportsmen Moldovan people of Russian descent Moldovan people of Ukrainian descent