Alexander Romanov Reveals He Lost 45 Pounds Ahead of UFC on ESPN 35

The physical transformation was evident on the scales, but the results remained the same for Alexander Romanov at UFC on ESPN 35.

The biggest favorite on Saturday’s card, Romanov rolled through Chase Sherman for a submission win 2:11 into Round 1 of their preliminary heavyweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The more svelte Romanov revealed that he underwent something a physical transformation while speaking to assembled media after the fight.

“My body has changed a lot,” Romanov said. “We a lot worked with my coach and trainer on cardio, on our footwork. My coach made for me a special diet. I lost around 45 pounds in the last three months. I feel that I’m in the best shape of my career now. But we just started this.”

The 31-year-old Moldovan wasted little time taking his opponent down, moving to mount and unloading ground-and-pound before securing a keylock to elicit a tap from Sherman. Romanov is now tied for the second-longest active winning streak in the UFC heavyweight division with five straight victories, but he claims to have only scratched the surface of his potential.

“This was just 5 percent of our skills, what we have,” Romanov said. “Everybody knows that I’m a good grappler, a good wrestler. But nobody sees my striking. I promise you that one day, everybody will see my striking. That will be incredible.”

While Romanov hasn’t faced the toughest competition the heavyweight division has to offer as of yet, his 16-0 mark still carries with it a certain level of mystique. That said, “King Kong” is looking to take a step up in his next Octagon appearance.

“For me, the top 15 is very interesting because Augusto Sakai has a very interesting style in his striking,” Romanov said. “For me, this will be a very good challenge.”