UFC 332 is less than 24 hours away …
It all goes down this weekend (Sat., Oct. 3, 2026), inside Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. In the main event, the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight championship is up for grabs as Natalia Silva collides with Wang Cong.
We have a weekly series at MMAmania.com called “Weekend Lock,” where we share one bet that we predict will slap in SLC when the chaotic dust settles. We also want to hear what our readers think (that’s you!), so please tell
us your most confident UFC 332 betting lock in the comments section below (see full UFC 332 odds here).
Last week’s recap: For the second time this year, I’ve gotten back-to-back weekend locks wrong. At UFC Vegas 121, Mehemmedeli Osmanli’s ML did not hit because he got disqualified for a bonehead illegal knee.
Let’s keep rolling below:
Middleweight wrecking machine Ateba Gautier takes a massive step up in competition against longtime division staple Roman Kopylov on UFC 332’s main card.
And for once, I’m betting on Gautier not immediately murdering somebody.
This week, I’m locking in Gautier vs. Kopylov Over 1.5 Rounds (-155).
Here’s why:
Gautier is a scary, scary man.
The 24-year-old has finished nine of his 11 professional victories, including four of his five UFC wins. He’s enormous for the division, ridiculously powerful and has quickly established himself as one of the most intriguing young Middleweight prospects on the roster.
However, Kopylov represents an enormous step up from everyone Gautier has faced thus far.
The Russian has made 12 walks to the Octagon and, most importantly for this bet, has never been stopped by strikes in his professional career.
Not once.
Kopylov has five career losses, with three coming by decision and the other two via submission. Nobody has been able to knock him out, and that’s especially important considering Gautier’s biggest weapon is obviously his devastating striking.
You also don’t have to trust Kopylov’s chin for 15 minutes.
We only need seven-and-a-half.
Kopylov has gone Under 1.5 rounds just once in his entire UFC career, which makes -155 pretty damn nice considering the experience and durability advantage he brings into this matchup.
There’s also an interesting dynamic if Gautier doesn’t immediately get his opponent out of there.
We’ve watched Gautier overwhelm opponents with his size, speed, and power, but Kopylov has considerably more high-level experience and has proven he can maintain a dangerous striking output deep into fights. If he absorbs Gautier’s early offense, the fight could become significantly more interesting as the younger fighter enters unfamiliar territory.
Gautier’s power could absolutely wear Kopylov down and eventually become the first fighter to knock him out.
On the flip side, Kopylov could survive the early storm, force Gautier to work and begin taking over as the fight progresses.
Either scenario works for us as long as the violence holds off for seven-and-a-half minutes.
What could go wrong?
Well, Gautier could just be that good.
Kopylov has never been knocked out, but durability eventually fails everyone, and Gautier possesses the type of freakish power that can make historical trends meaningless with one clean connection.
There’s also always the possibility Kopylov hurts the less-experienced Gautier early, although Gautier has shown no durability concerns thus far.
Still, Kopylov is unquestionably the toughest and most experienced opponent Gautier has faced, and his history suggests he isn’t going anywhere easily.
Give me Ateba Gautier vs. Roman Kopylov Over 1.5 Rounds (-155) as this week’s “Weekend Lock.”
Ateba Gautier via TKO/KO/DQ: -110
Ateba Gautier via submission: +2000
Ateba Gautier via decision: +330
Roman Kopylov via TKO/KO/DQ: +450
Roman Kopylov via submission: +3000
Roman Kopylov via decision: +500
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 332: “Silva vs. Cong” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
