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Roman Kopylov is not competing for the BMF title tonight but he sure fought like it. Kopylov scored his third knockout in as many fights at UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

Kopylov delivered one of the best knockouts you will see all year. Kopylov and Ribeiro exchanged wildly in Round 1 with each man appearing stunned at various points but the chaos would not last. Kopylov quieted the storm with a thunderous left head kick knockout seconds into the second stanza. The sound of the impact and Ribeiro's expression were equally uncomfortable. Riberio's face was scrunched up in excruciating pain. One follow-up strike was all the referee needed to wave it off.

Kopylov, not currently ranked by UFC, reached high up the ladder by calling out No. 6 ranked middleweight Sean Strickland during his post-fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan.

Kopylov appears to have found his groove after a tough 0-2 start to his UFC career. Saturday marked his third consecutive knockout following stoppages of Punahele Soriano and Alessio di Chirico in the last 10 months. "Contender Series" alum Ribeiro was 1-1 in the UFC heading into Saturday's fight.

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