Nikita Krylov

Overview

Twenty-three UFC fights, twenty-two of them ending inside the distance or on the scorecards at the final bell, and only two of the twelve wins came on the judges' cards. Nikita Krylov, "The Miner," is a Light Heavyweight from Donetsk, Ukraine, who is 12-11 in the UFC. His professional record across all promotions is 31-13-0.

Ten of his twelve UFC wins were finishes, split evenly: five by KO/TKO, five by submission. Six of those came in the first round. But the same wild variance shows up in the losses. Five by KO/TKO, four by submission, two by decision.

That's a fighter who rarely lets a fight drift.

UFC Career

Krylov debuted at UFC 164 in 2013 and lost by TKO in the third round to Soa Palelei. He answered with a 25-second knockout of Walt Harris in his next outing, then dropped a first-round submission to Ovince Saint Preux. Win, loss, win, loss: the pattern was set early.

The best stretch came between 2014 and 2016. A first-round TKO of Cody Donovan was followed by submissions of Stanislav Nedkov, Marcos Rogerio de Lima and Francimar Barroso, then a second-round TKO of Ed Herman. That's a five-fight win streak, his longest in the UFC. It ended against Misha Cirkunov, a first-round submission loss to an opponent our model rates as strong.

The middle years were harder. Losses to Jan Blachowicz (submission, round 2) and Glover Teixeira (split decision, an elite opponent) sat around a rematch win over Ovince Saint Preux by submission in round 2. A unanimous decision over Johnny Walker followed, then a decision loss to Magomed Ankalaev and a first-round submission loss to Paul Craig.

He rebounded in 2022 with a 67-second TKO of Alexander Gustafsson and a decision over Volkan Oezdemir, then submitted Ryan Spann in the first round in 2023. A 2025 first-round TKO loss to Dominick Reyes and another to Bogdan Guskov preceded a third-round TKO of Modestas Bukauskas at 4:57. That one came at the very end of the round.

The recent run is rough. He lost by TKO to Robert Whittaker, an elite opponent, in round 3, then by TKO to Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev in round 1. He carries a two-fight losing streak into his next fight.

Wins that end fights, losses that end fights. Little in between.

Fighting Style

Krylov is a busy striker who lands at a good clip and with good accuracy, but he is easy to hit and absorbs a lot in return. That's the cost of trading.

The grappling is what sets him apart. He goes for takedowns and hunts submissions far more often than most fighters in the UFC. His own takedown defense is about average. Five of his twelve wins are submissions, matching his five knockouts.

The finishes come early. Six of his ten finishes happened in the first round, three by KO/TKO and three by submission. Three more came in round 2, and one in round 3.

Notable Wins

• Ovince Saint Preux — submission, round 2, UFC 236 (2019)
• Johnny Walker — unanimous decision, UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. Oliveira (2020)
• Ryan Spann — submission, round 1, UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili (2023)
• Alexander Gustafsson — KO/TKO, round 1, UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall (2022)

Quick Facts

• Division: Light Heavyweight
• UFC record: 12-11
• Professional record (all promotions): 31-13-0
• UFC debut: 2013
• Reach: 77.5"
• Height: 6'3"
• Team: Fight Club No1 - Moscow, Russia
• Born: Donetsk, Ukraine