Preview: UFC on ESPN 35 Prelims

Heavyweights

NR | Alexander Romanov (15-0, 4-0 UFC) vs. NR | Chase Sherman (15-9, 3-8 UFC)

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BETUS ODDS: Romanov (-2500), Sherman (+900)

He still has a way to go, but Romanov is one of the more intriguing prospects in the UFC’s heavyweight division. At first blush, it would be easy not to take “King Kong” seriously. A massive man who is not in the tightest physical shape, he mostly made his way to the UFC by overwhelming a weak level of competition. With that said, there is actually a lot to like in terms of his talent. He is surprisingly agile for a man his size and capable of throwing some surprisingly flashy strikes, and he is a tricky wrestler and grappler capable of beating his opponents by using skills beyond his sheer power. He has also shown some solid cardio given his size and frame, though he did fade badly in a decision win over Juan Espino— one of the few heavyweights capable of hanging with Romanov as a grappler. In his subsequent fight, a win against Jared Vanderaa, none of those issues appeared in what turned into a one-sided beating. He will likely continue that momentum here against Sherman, who found his way back to the UFC in record time. Released just two weeks ago, Sherman found himself back under contract once the UFC needed a late-notice replacement to face Romanov. This marks the third UFC stint for “The Vanilla Gorilla,” who has continued to deal with much of the same problems. He is durable and a UFC-level athlete but does not have much in the way of knockout power and is completely hittable due to his lack of defense. He has become a bit more diverse as a striker over time, but the vibes have been absolutely terrible in Sherman’s last few fights, as he has seemed to take himself out of fights mentally against opposition that was able to hang around and survive. Romanov figures to make that a moot point immediately and take over quickly with his wrestling. The pick is Romanov via first-round stoppage.

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