“Terrible things happened in my life” - Alexander Romanov shares heartbreaking reasons for weight gain post-UFC 278

Alexander Romanov opened up about why he regained weight for his last two fights.

At UFC Vegas 76, Romanov bounced back from two consecutive losses with a unanimous decision win against Blagoy Ivanov. ‘King Kong’ looked solid for three rounds, which helped debunk the widespread belief that his conditioning was a significant problem.

In 2022, Romanov shed nearly 33 pounds to utilize a slimmer physique. After defeating Chase Sherman and losing against Marcin Tybura, the Moldovan fighter weighed in for his last two fights near the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds.

During the UFC Vegas 76 post-fight press conference, ‘King Kong’ was asked whether or not his weight transformation was strategic. Romanov’s response was transcribed by MMA Mania:

"No, [my weight gain is] not strategy. It's just that after UFC 278, some terrible things happened in my life that kind of took me out of being disciplined, took me out of training hard…”

MMA reporter Alex Behunin provided a possible backstory for Alexander Romanov’s struggles:

“I’m not sure but I believe his dad died because when he mentioned him last night he started to cry.”

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Alexander Romanov reveals he wasn’t ‘physically and mentally’ ready for Alexander Volkov fight

Alexander Romanov was considered a legitimate future heavyweight title contender after winning his first five UFC fights, including four inside the distance. After losing for the first time against Marcin Tybura, Romanov suffered a significant setback after a disappointing performance against Alexander Volkov on March 11.

During the UFC Vegas 76 post-fight press conference, Romanov explained how he was in terrible shape when Volkov defeated him in the first round:

“You know, with the help of the people that are closest to me, the help of my family, help of my coaches, I was able to kind of get back into it. I was in terrible shape for the fight against Volkov. I didn't feel like I was in the right place at all, both physically and mentally.”

Romanov continued by saying:

“But, I got back with the help of those closest to me, and to be honest, I'm the same weight as I was for that fight. As you could see, [I was] a way different fighter even though the weight didn't change from the last fight. I really feel that I was graced by God."

Alexander Romanov holds a 6-2 UFC record after defeating Blagoy Ivanov at UFC Vegas 76. Now that he’s mentally and physically in a better place, it’ll be intriguing to see if ‘King Kong’ can continue climbing the heavyweight rankings.