Oleg Popov (fighter)
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Yashaltinsky District, Kalmykia, Russia
| Oleg Popov | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 January 1992 Yashaltinsky District, Kalmykia, Russia |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 248 lb (112 kg; 17.7 st) |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Fighting out of | Krasnodar, Russia |
| Team | FedorTeam |
| Rank | Master of Sports in ARB |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 25 |
| Wins | 23 |
| By knockout | 9 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 11 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Oleg Popov (Russian: Олег Сергеевич Попов; born 10 January 1992) is a Russian mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to the MMA promotion the Professional Fighters League (PFL) in the heavyweight division, where he was the 2025 PFL Heavyweight Tournament Champion. A professional mixed martial arts competitor since 2015, he has previously fought in AMC Fight Nights and Bellator MMA. As of March 26, 2026, he is #1 in the PFL heavyweight rankings.[1]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Popov started his professional MMA career in 2015 and mainly fought in Russia, particularly AMC Fight Nights and the MMA Series, the latter in where he won the heavyweight title.[3] He amassed a record of 15–1 prior to being signed by Bellator MMA.[4]
In his last bout before Bellator, Popov faced Antônio Silva at MMA Series 53 on June 24, 2022. He won the bout by knockout 15 seconds into the 2nd round.[5]
Bellator
Popov faced Gökhan Saricam on February 25, 2023, at Bellator 291.[6] He won the bout by unanimous decision.[7]
Professional Fighters League
2024 season
Popov debuted with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) at PFL 1 on April 4, 2024, and won his bout against Steve Mowry by TKO in the second round.[8][9]
Popov faced Davion Franklin at PFL 4 on June 13, 2024. He won the bout by unanimous decision.[10]
Popov was scheduled to face Valentin Moldavsky in the semifinals of the 2024 Heavyweight tournament at PFL 7 on August 2, 2024, however Moldavsky was forced to withdraw due to injury and was replaced by Linton Vassell.[11] Popov won the bout via unanimous decision.[12]
Popov faced Denis Goltsov in the finals of the 2024 Heavyweight tournament at PFL 10 on November 29, 2024 and lost the fight via a triangle choke submission in the first round.[13]
2025 Tournament
On March 5, 2025, the promotion officially revealed that Popov will join the 2025 PFL Heavyweight Tournament.[14]
In the quarterfinal, Popov was scheduled to face Linton Vassell in a rematch on May 1, 2025, at PFL 4.[15] However on April 28, it was announced Vassell has pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Karl Williams.[16] He won the fight by split decision.[17]
In the semifinals, Popov faced Rodrigo Nascimento at PFL 7 on June 27, 2025. He won the fight via unanimous decision.[18]
In the final, Popov faced Alexander Romanov at PFL 10, on August 21, 2025. He won the fight via split decision.[19]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- MMA Series
- MMA Series Heavyweight Championship (One time)
Mixed martial arts record
| 25 matches | 23 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 9 | 0 |
| By submission | 3 | 1 |
| By decision | 11 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 23–2 | Magomed Magomedov | Decision (unanimous) | BetCity Fight Nights 135 | March 28, 2026 | 3 | 5:00 | Elista, Russia | |
| Win | 22–2 | Alexander Romanov | Decision (split) | PFL 10 (2025) | August 21, 2025 | 5 | 5:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Won the 2025 PFL Heavyweight Tournament. |
| Win | 21–2 | Rodrigo Nascimento | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 7 (2025) | June 27, 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | 2025 PFL Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal. |
| Win | 20–2 | Karl Williams | Decision (split) | PFL 4 (2025) | May 1, 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Orlando, Florida, United States | 2025 PFL Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal. |
| Loss | 19–2 | Denis Goltsov | Technical Submission (triangle choke) | PFL 10 (2024) | November 29, 2024 | 1 | 2:55 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 2024 PFL Heavyweight Tournament Final. |
| Win | 19–1 | Linton Vassell | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 7 (2024) | August 2, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | 2024 PFL Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal. |
| Win | 18–1 | Davion Franklin | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 4 (2024) | June 13, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | Catchweight (268.5 lb) bout; Franklin missed weight. |
| Win | 17–1 | Steve Mowry | TKO (punches) | PFL 1 (2024) | April 4, 2024 | 2 | 3:47 | San Antonio, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 16–1 | Gökhan Saricam | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 291 | February 25, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Win | 15–1 | Antônio Silva | KO (punch) | MMA Series 53 | June 24, 2022 | 2 | 0:15 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Win | 14–1 | Alejandro Solorzano | TKO (corner stoppage) | MMA Series 43 | October 30, 2021 | 2 | N/A | Moscow, Russia | |
| Win | 13–1 | Marcos Brigagão | Submission (triangle choke) | Blacksmith FC 3 | September 25, 2021 | 3 | 2:10 | Anapa, Russia | |
| Win | 12–1 | Fernando Batista | TKO (punches) | Open FC 6 | July 4, 2021 | 2 | 2:46 | Krasnodar, Russia | |
| Win | 11–1 | Fayoz Shomurodov | Submission (armbar) | MMA Series 33 | May 29, 2021 | 1 | 1:39 | Rublyovka, Russia | Won the vacant MMA Series Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–1 | Abdul Elwahab Saeed | KO (punches) | MMA Series 26 | February 20, 2021 | 5 | 5:00 | Voronezh, Russia | |
| Win | 9–1 | Sergey Alekseevich | Submission (triangle choke) | MMA Series 7 | November 21, 2020 | 2 | 3:13 | Sochi, Russia | |
| Win | 8–1 | Magomedbag Agaev | Decision (unanimous) | Fight Nights Global 97 | September 18, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Elista, Russia | |
| Win | 7–1 | Denis Arkhireev | TKO (punches) | MMA Series 7 | June 20, 2020 | 1 | 5:00 | Taganrog, Russia | |
| Win | 6–1 | Gerônimo dos Santos | TKO (punches) | League S-70: Plotforma Cup 2019 | August 14, 2019 | 2 | 1:49 | Sochi, Russia | |
| Win | 5–1 | Alexander Soldatkin | Decision (unanimous) | Samara MMA Federation: Battle on Volga 10 | April 14, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Tolyatti, Russia | |
| Win | 4–1 | Yuriy Fedorov | TKO (punches) | M-1 Challenge 98 | November 2, 2018 | 2 | 2:38 | Chelyabinsk, Russia | |
| Win | 3–1 | Adam Bogatyrev | Decision (unanimous) | M-1 Challenge 95 | July 21, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Nazran, Russia | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Yusup Suliemanov | Decision (unanimous) | Fight Nights Global 54 | November 16, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Rostov-on-Don, Russia | Catchweight (220 lb) bout. |
| Win | 2–0 | Timofey Mishev | Decision (unanimous) | Fight Nights Global 48 | May 26, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Win | 1–0 | Anton Vyazigin | KO (punches) | Fight Nights Global 42 | October 23, 2015 | 1 | 2:56 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Heavyweight debut. |
