Alexander Romanov continued his undefeated run with a devastating finish in the featured prelim at UFC Vegas 39 on Saturday.
The Moldavan mauler once again displayed his wrestling and ground attack after putting Jared Vanderaa on the mat and hammering away at him with punches until referee Chris Tognoni had no choice but to stop the contest. Despite Vanderaa’s best efforts to escape, Romanov was relentless while dropping bombs from the top, which forced Tognoni to end the fight at 4:43 in the second round.
“This is not my work. This is the work of my big team,” Romanov said afterwards. “After the last fight, I have worked very much because I need to show I am the best in this business.
“I have come here for fighting. What decision [about who’s next] will be from UFC side, I’m ready to accept everyone’s challenge.”
While he was eventually finished on the ground, Vanderaa did an admirable job early to avoid Romanov’s wrestling as the heavyweight traded big bombs on the feet.
Of course, Romanov eventually returned to his best weapon, which was putting Vanderaa down on the mat then shredding his defense by launching punches from the top position.
Once Romanov secured the mount it appeared the end was near as Vanderaa was stuck trying to defend without any real hope that he could actually escape. Finally, with Romanov just launching huge ground-and-pound strikes and Vanderaa still helpless on the bottom, the referee mercifully waved off the fight.
Now 15-0 in his career, Romanov is a name to watch heading into 2022 as he seeks to build upon his last four wins in the UFC while climbing his way through the rankings in the heavyweight division.
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