It seems that Roman Kopylov is doing everything he can to gain an advantage over Chris Curtis ahead of their middleweight clash at UFC Vegas 101 next month.
MMA's leading promotion will kick off its schedule for 2025 with a UFC Fight Night at the Apex in Las Vegas on Jan. 11, where Kopylov and Curtis make up one of the undercard matchups.
Both men will no doubt be keen to start the new year on the front foot with a victory, but the Russian appears to have gone to extreme lengths to boost his chances.
Curtis recently accused his rival of planting spies in his camp, writing on his Instagram Stories that two Russian fighters joined Xtreme Couture before leaving and linking up with Kopylov upon his arrival in "Sin City."
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"Couple weeks ago, 2 Russians show up looking to be part of the team," Curtis wrote. "After 2 weeks they vanish as soon as Kopylov comes to town and are now training together. Scumbag move Kopylov."
Whether or not the pair's insight into Curtis' preparation will aid Kopylov remains to be seen.
But the incident will likely add some extra heat to this bout, which is among those setting the stage for the main event rematch between strawweight contenders Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas.