Alexander Romanov was transported to the hospital after a groin shot brought his UFC Vegas 24 fight to an early end

UFC heavyweight Alexander Romanov endured a painful groin strike in his featured prelim against Juan Espino at UFC Vegas 24. The 30-year-old found himself unable to continue, thus forcing the referee to put an end to the contest.

A minute into the third round, Romanov’s opponent, Juan Espino, stung the Moldovan with a low blow that clearly agonized him. The UFC then sent Romanov to the hospital to have him treated.

Alexander Romanov, however, was declared the winner of his heavyweight clash opposite Espino. He won the fight via a technical split decision – something which is rarely seen in the UFC.

Any fight that is stopped due to an accidental foul, or if a fighter loses consciousness during the bout, could result in a technical decision. For instance, in boxing, a fighter can win a bout via technical decision if the fight has to be stopped due to a headbutt.

At UFC 159, Michael Bisping defeated Alan Belcher via unanimous technical decision after the fight was halted because of an accidental eye poke from Bisping. In the case of Alexander Romanov, two out of the three judges scored the fight in his favor. (29–28, 28–29, 29–28).

Alexander Romanov’s win over Juan Espino extended his undefeated MMA record to 14 fights. The 30-year-old made his MMA debut in 2016 at Eagles FC and continued his winning run as he registered ten more victories under his belt.

Romanov’s UFC debut was against Roque Martinez in September 2020. He defeated the Brazilian with a stunning arm-triangle choke. Two months later, Romanov stepped into the octagon once again opposite Marcos Rogério de Lima, and secured another submission victory.

With a win over Espino, Romanov has now scored three consecutive victories in the UFC.

Published 18 Apr 2021, 09:00 IST