One of the UFC’s top rising prospects, Ateba Gautier, is back to take on Roman Kopylov in the first fight on tonight’s UFC 332 Main Card. The UFC 332 Main Card has a special start time of 8:00 p.m. ET and is airing for the first time on CBS in addition to Paramount+..
Check out my best bet for Ateba Gautier vs. Roman Kopylov at tonight’s UFC 332 event below.
Ateba Gautier to Win by KO/TKO/DQ (-110)
Gautier, 24, is 11-1 with nine knockouts and is coming off a second-round knockout over Ozzy Diaz at UFC 328 in May. In September 2024, Gautier earned a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series after beating Yura Naito by second-round knockout. In 2022, Gautier lost his second professional MMA fight but has since won 10 straight fights, with nine coming by knockout.
Kopylov has a 15-5 record with 12 knockouts and is coming off a win over Marco Tulio at UFC 328 in May. From 2022 to 2023, Kopylov scored four straight knockouts but since then has gone 3-3 in his last six fights. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Gautier is the favorite at -238, with Kopylov the +195 underdog. This contest has an over/under of 1.5 rounds, with the over at -175 and the under at +135. This fight is also -200 not to go the distance and +150 to last 15 minutes.
With Gautier standing four inches taller (6’4″ vs. 6’0″) and a six-inch reach advantage (81″ vs. 75″), plus tremendous power, he has the tools to break Kopylov down. Kopylov averages more significant strikes per minute (4.54 vs. 4.32) at a higher rate (50% vs. 43%) than Gautier. But Kopylov will likely struggle to close the distance against Gautier, who rarely allows opponents to succeed. Since nine of his last 10 wins have come by knockout, I’m taking Gautier to beat Kopylov by KO/TKO/DQ at -110.
