Juan Espino accuses Alexandr Romanov of faking low blow, hopes for rematch

Juan Espino is not happy with the way things turned out for his first fight in 2021.

The winner of Season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter” lost to Alexandr Romanov earlier this month at UFC on ESPN 22 in Las Vegas. The bout was stopped midway through Round 3 after Romanov (14-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) suffered an illegal strike to the groin and was unable to continue fighting.

It was a controversial result since many didn’t think the low blow would disable Romanov to continue fighting. And even then, many thought Espino (10-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) had done enough to that point to win a decision.

“El Guapo” said he is upset with his opponent and the officials.

“That knee never had any impact on the area (the groin),” Espino told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “The knee hit the higher part of the thigh – it didn’t hit him in his genitals. I don’t know if the knee maybe slightly skimmed it, but I didn’t feel the cup. … I don’t think he was up to par. In the third round, you can notice it. In just one minute, I was able to take him down twice and I was working him.

“I think the submission was coming. I don’t think he was on my level and he couldn’t take the pressure. And look, if you’re going to lose, lose with dignity. The only thing this has generated for him is haters.

“We have the cup. The cup is a very good shield. If you take a hard enough hit, and actually I can’t remember in recent times, in the last few years, kicks or knees to the groin that have forced a fighter out of the bout. Also if you get hit, you don’t stay standing trying to catch your breath. You try to move and shake it out, but he didn’t have the strength to move and he was very tired.”

Espino said he has no problem accepting defeat, but doesn’t think he lost at UFC on ESPN 22. The Spaniard thinks Romanov was fading and faked the low blow to avoid a defeat.

“I completely (lost respect for him),” Espino said. “He came in with hype. He was undefeated. The betting odds had him as a favorite. But I didn’t feel he was superior. He wasn’t beating me up. I accept the defeat. I’ve competed in many combat sports contests – maybe 1,000 – so you can imagine I’ve lost a good amount, and I’ve never had any problems accepting it. But you prepare to win or lose, not to have the fight stolen from you.”

Espino respects whatever the UFC decides to do with him and Romanov moving forward, but he would like to get a rematch with the Moldovan fighter.

“I would love it. I want an immediate rematch,” Espino said. “And look, the kid is good, and when I took the fight I thought it was good timing to face him because he clearly has deficiencies – and he showed them in the fight. He had holes on the ground and he couldn’t finish me like he did his previous opponents. Yes, he’s strong and a big guy, but he’s not a fierce fighter like many had painted him. I don’t care if I meet him again now or we have a few fights and meet him down the line. But I would like the UFC to keep me fighting against quality opponents because I should be ranked and I should be among the best fighters in the world.”