No, once you do a deep dive into his record it really doesn't hold up. On the regional scene he was basically a can-crusher-crusher. For instance, in his sixth pro bout he fought Alexander Stolyarov who had a 20-5 record, finishing him in the first round. That sounds immensely impressive until you dig a little deeper and realize that Stolyarov's resume is composed almost entirely of cans with 0-0 or 0-1 records or thereabouts. Anyone with a remote amount of skill who's proven in the sport beat him handily, usually finishing him (including Jeff Monson).
A lot of those ostensibly more experienced dudes Romanov fought in the beginning stages of his career follow that same pattern. The first remotely legitimate guy he beat on the regional scene was probably Virgil Zwicker, a Bellator veteran with wins over OSP, Houston Alexander, and Razak Al-Hassan... but Virgil is a natural 205er who was coming off a knockout loss to Alexander Emelianenko when he lost to Romanov, so take it for what it's worth.
In the UFC, Romanov's resume hasn't looked that much better. Roque Martinez is not and never was UFC-caliber. Marcos Rogerio de Lima is a bloated 205er with a Happy Meal Black Belt who rides or dies with an "explosive 1st round knockout flurry or bust" strategy in pretty much every outing. Vanderaa's greatest achievements in the promotion are winning a Decision over Justin Tafa of all people and having a competitive fight against Grandpa Arlovski that he ultimately lost. Chase Sherman is a one-dimensional kickboxer with decent volume for a Heavyweight, but has looked middling at best ever since he got off the sauce.
Which leaves Juan Espino. So, hot take here -- I don't think Juan is necessarily some elite prospect at this point. Had a few things gone differently in his life maybe, but now at this stage in his career he simply represents a skilled Heavyweight grappler and a novelty "What could have been?" fighter. Don't get me wrong: he's talented, he's dangerous, and the skill set he possesses is one that's fairly unique in the division. Had Romanov gone out there and finished him or even won a dominant decision over him, I'd have been impressed. But he didn't. He had his moments, sure enough, but the way that fight was trending prior to the foul and subsequent Technical Decision Espino might very well have won on the scorecards.
So what are we left with, really? A guy who dominated primarily a bunch of cans and can-crushers on the regional scene, extremely middling competition within the UFC itself, and struggled immensely against the one legitimate opponent he's faced in the Octagon: a 40-year-old grappler and formerly great prospect who had been very inactive as of late.
Honestly, the more I look into all of this the more part of me expects Tybura to weather the early storm and school Romanov in a "Y'all must've forgot" sort of performance. Don't get me wrong: Alexandr has legitimate skills. He's physically strong, a dominant and oppressive wrestler, lethal GnP, and is good at finding opportunistic submissions. I can absolutely see him becoming a Top 10 fixture at Heavyweight. But his resume doesn't hold up to scrutiny and he doesn't strike me as the guy who will adapt well to adversity and being the nail once he starts fighting the old guard of the Heavyweight Division -- guys who won't keel over the moment he cinches up a body-lock and tries to lift. I'm also a bit suspicious of his gas tank in a high-pace three-round fight, much less a five-rounder (though I suspect the weight he took off will help somewhat in that regard even if it might make some takedowns/positions on the mat harder to secure).
People have mentioned him fighting Blaydes... lol. Curtis would knock his ass out on the feet or toss him around like a sack of potatoes after stuffing his TDs. It would be uncomfortable to watch.
