Oleg Popov (fighter)


Oleg Popov is a Russian mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to the MMA promotion the Professional Fighters League 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.

Background

Prior to his MMA career, Popov was champion of the Southern Military District in ARB, Winner of the Armed Forces Cup in ARB and is Master of Sports of Russia in ARB.

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. He amassed a record of 15–1 prior to being signed by Bellator MMA.
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.

Bellator

Popov faced Gökhan Saricam on February 25, 2023, at Bellator 291. He won the bout by unanimous decision.

Professional Fighters League

2024 season

Popov debuted with the Professional Fighters League at PFL 1 on April 4, 2024, and won his bout against Steve Mowry by TKO in the second round.
Popov faced Davion Franklin at PFL 4 on June 13, 2024. He won the bout by unanimous decision.
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. Popov won the bout via unanimous decision.
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.

2025 Tournament

On March 5, 2025, the promotion officially revealed that Popov will join the 2025 PFL Heavyweight Tournament.
In the quarterfinal, Popov was scheduled to face Linton Vassell in a rematch on May 1, 2025, at PFL 4. However on April 28, it was announced Vassell has pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Karl Williams. He won the fight by split decision.
In the semifinals, Popov faced Rodrigo Nascimento at PFL 7 on June 27, 2025. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
In the final, Popov faced Alexander Romanov at PFL 10, on August 21, 2025. He won the fight via split decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Professional Fighters League
  • * 2025 PFL Heavyweight Tournament Champion
  • MMA Series
  • * MMA Series Heavyweight Championship