LAS VEGAS – Alexandr Romanov doesn’t want the judges involved in the outcome of his upcoming fight against Alexander Volkov.

In his last outing, Moldova’s Romanov (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) left the cage with the first loss of his professional MMA career on his record. Two of the three judges sided with Marcin Tybura at UFC 278 in a majority decision – a result that still stings to this day.

Gearing up for his first appearance of 2023 after learning one important lesson, Romanov now wants nothing to do with the judges as he prepares to face Russia’s Volkov (35-10 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 221 co-main event at The Theater at Virgin Hotels.

“The only thing that I learned from my last fight is do not leave it in the hand of the judges, because you can’t trust what decision they’re going to make,” Romanov told reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “So, what I need to do is go in there, dominate, and make sure the fight ends before the judges decide if I won or lost.”

“… I think a lot of fighters will agree with me that no matter if it’s you’re first loss, second loss, fifth loss, they’re always bitter. Nobody likes to lose. But, I really think that even one loss can really teach you a whole lot about your career more than the wins.”

Even though Romanov doesn’t agree with the judges’ decision in his last outing, no longer having an unblemished record doesn’t seem to bother him. Instead, the 32-year-old is viewing the moment as an opportunity for growth.

“That zero never really had any pressure on me or my career,” Romanov said. “If you look at all professional fighters, they go hand in hand, you got victories and you got losses. So, all I can do as a professional fighter is keep improving, keep training, and everything else is in the hand of God.”

Romanov welcomes the towering 6-foot-7 Volkov to the cage, a fighter he admits he watched and learned from over the years. Romanov said he paid close attention to all the top fighters from his side of the globe, and found Volkov to be one of the best to follow.

“What can I tell you about him? He was always a good example of a great fighter and a humble guy just outside,” Romanov said. “Just a good Russian dude.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.