Lanky middleweights Ruziboev and Pulyaev engage at a word from
referee Marc Goddard. Pulyaev is southpaw, Ruziboev orthodox.
Pulyaev is mobile early, circling around the outside as Ruziboev
moves more conservatively, cutting off the cage and reaching out
with range-finding jabs. Ruziboev grabs a snatch single-leg and
dumps Pulyaev to his seat at the base of the fence. Pulyaev stands
back up, and Ruziboev drags him to the canvas once more, moving to
the Russian’s back and going supine in the middle of the cage with
nearly three full minutes to work. Pulyaev guards his neck and
tries to sit up, but Ruziboev is ultra-patient, locking up a
modified body triangle, boxing Pulyaev’s ears with short punches
and looking for a chance to reapply the choke. This is like
watching a python swallow a goat. Ruziboev sinks an arm under the
chin and squeezes, and Pulyaev is astral traveling within seconds.
The man is out cold, eyes wide open, and Goddard steps in for the
save. Ruziboev gets up to celebrate, leaving Pulyaev facedown and
snoozing. Wow.
The Official Result
Nursulton Ruziboev def. Andrey Pulyaev R1 3:58 via Technical
Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)

From one action fight to another we go, this time in the
middleweight division. Stoltzfus (16-6, 3-5 UFC) has only gone the
distance twice in his eight UFC outings, while all three wins
inside the Octagon for Ruziboev (35-9-2, 2 NC; 3-1 UFC) have come
by knockout. Referee Chris Tognoni knows he very well might be
needed before the final horn. There is a no glove touch, as
Stoltzfus declines to do so. Ruziboev accepts this and lets go with
an early leg kick. Stoltzfus pulls back on a body kick, but
Ruziboev does not do that as his lands flush. The Uzbekistani
fighter scores a calf kick, and Stoltzfus does the same. The calf
is the target for Ruziboev, until he swings his way in with two
booming punches. Stoltzfus tries to grab hold of the taller man,
but Ruziboev tosses him aside and lines up a straight right hand.
The two clash heads together, and Stoltzfus manages to land the
cleaner of the two and knocks “Black” to his seat. Stoltzfus rushes
forward and jumps guard with a guillotine choke, and he steps into
full mount and wraps the submission up and under the chin. Ruziboev
pats Stoltzfus’ backside but it is not registered as a tap, and
Stoltzfus imposes his weight to complete the maneuver. Ruziboev
thinks about giving up but explodes to flip Stoltzfus over, and he
gets into the guard and just hangs out there to get his wits back
about him. Ruziboev postures up to drop down a punch and an elbow,
and Stoltzfus works his way up and ignores a guillotine setup from
his opponent. Stoltzfus times a spinning back elbow to break, and
the two split up. Ruziboev opens up with a left hand and a spinning
back kick, and his second spin kick misses as Stoltzfus cracks him
with a counter. Ruziboev bounces around to shake it out, leaping
forward to deliver single punches that connect each and every time.
Stoltzfus is tough as can be, but Ruziboev slugs him in the chops
until he wraps his arm around the Pennsylvanian and wrangles him to
the mat. The bell sounds, to the surprise of many. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Stoltzfus Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Ruziboev Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Ruziboev

The second round opens with a head kick from Ruziboev after a bit
of measuring. After some more timing, Ruziboev lets loose a
spinning wheel kick that bangs square into Stoltzfus’ head.
Stoltzfus swings his way forward, catching Ruziboev and putting him
on his heels. Stoltzfus pursues a takedown, and Ruziboev defends
with a kimura. Stoltzfus fights it off and lowers Ruziboev to his
back, his nose pouring blood from a particularly nasty uppercut.
Stoltzfus gets in half guard and pursues an arm-triangle choke,
letting it go to bash Ruziboev with punches and short elbows.
Stoltzfus sets up another guillotine choke and leans to the side,
and Ruziboev turns to defend it. This allows Stoltzfus to briefly
pursue a brabo choke, only to let it go when he does not have the
right leverage. Ruziboev powers back to his feet and finds himself
in guillotine danger once more, but the blood covering Ruziboev’s
melon plus the fatigue setting in allows him to slip out. Ruziboev
counters with a knee to the body, and he smacks Stoltzfus with a
hammerfist and inadvertently headbutts him. Ruziboev keeps slugging
away, and Stoltzfus snatches up a leg and turns into it to drag
Ruziboev down to a knee. Ruziboev pulls on the fence to defend it,
as Tognoni shouts at him to knock it off. The damage is done from
the foul, as Ruziboev escapes and lowers himself down to start
pounding on the bloodied Stoltzfus again. Stoltzfus sways to avoid
the worst of the ground-and-pound, and he lands his own sneaky
shots off his back right before the horn. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Ruziboev Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Ruziboev Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Ruziboev

The last round kicks off with both men taking a moment to analyze
the other. Ruziboev darts in with a jab and a body kick, and
Tognoni warns that the kick went south of the border. Stoltzfus is
no worse for wear, and he lets the fight continue. Clubbing
Ruziboev’s lead leg with his shin, he knocks the taller man to his
seat and times a right hand to drive into his jaw. Ruziboev twists
around to stand back up, and he parries a front kick aimed at his
chest. Stoltzfus rushes at him, ducking a punch to tie his man up,
and Ruziboev darts away in time. Ruziboev reaches his target with a
left hook, and Stoltzfus kicks him in the front leg. Ruziboev times
a right hand over the top, and he spins and drills Stoltzfus in the
face with a wheel kick. Stoltzfus takes it on the chin and lashes
out with a right hand, and he gets knocked back with an overhand
right counter that bangs into his gloves. Stoltzfus lets fly his
own spinning wheel kick, and it clatters off the guard. Ruziboev
does the same. They crack one another with single right hands, and
then connect with hard lefts. As Ruziboev swings for the fences,
Stoltzfus tackles him to the ground and lands in half guard.
Stoltzfus imposes his weight while not getting much offense off,
looking instead to advance position. Tognoni asks Stoltzfus for
more activity, as Stoltzfus is solely covering his foe’s mouth but
not offering any strikes. Stoltzfus climbs into mount with 50
seconds to go, and Ruziboev scrambles like a madman to get to his
knees. Stoltzfus wraps up the beginning of a brabo choke, and when
Ruziboev fights through it, he transitions to a guillotine.
Ruziboev pulls out of it, and he delivers a spin kick to the ribs.
Ruziboev nails the American with a right hand, and they proceed to
miss with spinning strikes before time expires. They raise their
fists in the air after 15 minutes of bloody combat. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Ruziboev (29-28 Ruziboev) Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Stoltzfus (29-28 Ruziboev) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Stoltzfus (29-28
Ruziboev)

Moving right along, two men that rarely leave matters to the judges
will clash to start building momentum in the wide-open middleweight
category. After a tough loss, Ruziboev (34-9-2, 2 NC; 2-1 UFC) is
returning to 185 pounds, and he will be welcoming Tuff-N-Uff vet
McConico (9-2-1, 0-0 UFC) to the world-famous Octagon. Referee
Keith Peterson is on guard, ready to step in at a moment’s notice
and bust up any nonsense. A fist bump precedes the action, and
McConico opens up with a slapping low kick as “USA” chants loudly
echo throughout the building. McConico parries a front kick fired
at him and chambers a head kick in response, only to not let it go.
As the fighters circle one another without much activity, the fans
let the fighters have it with a swath of boos. Ruziboev tries to
answer their calls for action with an overhand right, but he misses
the mark by a wide margin. Ruziboev tries for another as a counter,
and he skims the side of the head when McConico attempts a kick.
McConico is out of range with most of his strikes, and Ruziboev
reaches him at the end of a right hand right on the pectorals.
Ruziboev jams a front kick to the liver, and he is answered with a
low kick. Ruziboev surges forward with a right hand, and he shakes
his head when McConico fails on a counter. Ruziboev blitzes after
another lull in action, and a second flurry gets his hands on his
opponent. McConico rips a kick to the ribs, and “Black” wraps him
up and pushes him to the fencing. Dirty boxing from the newcomer
allows him to break out of the tie-up, and he has a head kick slap
off the raised guard to little impact. The crowd is not impressed,
even as Ruziboev marches forward and zings a few straight punches
down the middle. A low kick from McConico is answered by a one-two,
and this exchange happens a second time. The Uzbekistan ends the
round with a body kick and a right hand. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Ruziboev Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Ruziboev Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Ruziboev

The fighters clap hands to get going, and McConico is energized as
he puts a pair of punches on the chin to reintroduce himself.
Ruziboev fires right back, and this slugfest is exactly where
McConico does not want to be. The taller, longer man unloads and
nails McConico with a strong combination of punches, causing
McConico to wobble and stumble his way to the fence. McConico falls
to his face and works his way up under fire. Ruziboev chases, swinging with all his might, allowing the newcomer
to get back to his feet so he can blast him once more with several
relentless right hands. As McConico hits the deck a second time,
Peterson has seen enough, with McConico turning to his side and in
a bad, bad way. The victor walks off screaming,
letting out all of his remaining emotions after registering the
knockout. That marks 33 finishes in the 35 wins for the Uzbekistan
native, who at 6-foot-5 will be a tough matchup for a lot of
fighters in the weight class. To make matters more interesting,
Ruziboev informs commentator Michael Bisping that he is willing to
fight at either 77 or 84 kgs, meaning 170 pounds or 185 pounds.

Ever since moving down to 170 pounds, the 5-foot-8 kickfighter
Buckley (18-6, 8-4 UFC) has found a new lease on life, even if he
tries to move up a more logjammed division with contenders waiting
ages for title shots these days. Looking to crash that party will
be Uzbekistan finisher Ruziboev (34-8-2, 2 NC; 2-0 UFC), who has
shifted back and forth from welterweight and middleweight over the
years. Knowing that one of these men may need smelling salts in the
foreseeable future, referee Keith Peterson is ultra-prepped and
ready for the nonsense-free proceedings. There is a stern staredown
between the two that ultimately results in no touch of gloves.
Buckley crowds his way forward to begin, and he backs away from a
front kick that is aimed his direction. Buckley shifts to the left
and right while trying to find his way in, and Ruziboev is warned
for outstretched fingers. Ruziboev reaches with a right hand, and
Buckley comes at him swinging. Ruziboev ducks away from a huge
overhand left, and he tries to line up straight shots to intercept
the shorter man coming in. Ruziboev misses another front kick, and
he lets Buckley fly past him when Buckley is winging shots. The
crowd starts chanting “USA,” and Buckley absorbs this energy and
surges forward, where he takes a flush flying knee to the body and
tackles Ruziboev to the ground. Buckley is wrapped up when landing
on top, with Ruziboev hooking his arms around Buckley’s to hope for
a stalemate that results in a standup. Buckley is pushed away, and
he swings when Ruziboev fights back to his feet. Ruziboev returns
fire and clips him, and Buckley retreats only to sprint forward and
smash straight into Ruziboev’s chest to put him flat on his back.
Buckley decides after landing a few strikes to stand back up, and
Ruziboev follows him up. Buckley hops away from a front kick and
scores a low kick, and his jabs as well out of range. Buckley keeps
his guard up to block a high kick, and his blitz of a few looping
strikes come up short. Buckley raises his hand in the air as he
circles away, and he tells Ruziboev to fight him. Ruziboev motions
to come get him, and Buckley answers as he leaps forward throwing
wild hooks. Buckley spins with a back kick that is brushed off, and
he walks off disappointed. Ruziboev runs at him and jumps with a
flying knee, but Buckley is elsewhere as the round concludes. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Buckley Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Buckley Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Buckley

Buckley appears to have a fire lit in his belly as he starts the
second round, as he races forward and releases a big kick early.
Ruziboev retreats and measures Buckley with a right hand. Buckley
resets and blazes forward, ripping Ruziboev off of his feet and
tossing him down to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Ruziboev
uses his offensive guard to kick Buckley off of him, and Buckley
allows him to get back up. Ruziboev gets off a right hand that
partially connects, and Buckley closes in and lands as body shot.
Ruziboev trots forward with his arms outstretched, and he walks
into a front kick to the sternum. Buckley chases Ruziboev around
and shrugs off a right hand so he can unload with body shots.
Buckley takes a flush knee and responds with a right hook that
lands cleanly. Buckley is struck with another knee on the way in,
and is still struggling to find the range. A side kick from “New
Mansa” finds its target, and his guard is high enough to block a
straight right hand from his foe. Ruziboev splits the guard with a
front kick and hops away from winging hooks that whiz past him.
Buckley starts pointing around the cage, and he tries to use this
misdirection to charge in and crack his foe. He gets off a big
right hand and wrenches Ruziboev down to the mat, slamming him down
and landing in side control. Buckley puts a knee on the belly, and
Ruziboev pulls him back to guard. Buckley rains down punches, and
Ruziboev answers with an armbar that Buckley completely ignores.
The round ends, Buckley helps his foe up and they embrace. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Buckley Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Buckley Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Buckley

Hands are clapped together to begin the final round. They use
alternating jabs to still look for their respective distances, and
Buckley leaps forward and pulls back before reaching the target.
Buckley has a right hand glance off the target, and Ruziboev
replies with a few body shots. Buckley eats a left hand and laughs
it off so he can blast Ruziboev in the face with bombs. Buckley
knocks Ruziboev off his feet down to his seat, where he moves to
top position, and Ruziboev flails frantically with his legs and
lands a few upkicks to get Buckley away. Buckley holds on the neck
when Ruziboev sits up, and Ruziboev escapes and tries to land some
shots. Buckley chases after him and connects with some punishing
blows, and Ruziboev goes down again. Buckley leaps on top and
begins an onslaught of ground-and-pound when he gets to mount, and
he hammers Ruziboev with punches as Ruziboev’s face has been
bloodied up. Ruziboev struggles to hang on and grabs the glove to
protect himself, so Buckley frames off with his elbow and clobbers
him with additional elbows. Ruziboev survives the assault somehow
and sweeps the shorter man, and he ignores a triangle setup to move
into the half guard so he can blast Buckley with his own offense.
Buckley twists and turns, and he explodes to turn Ruziboev over and
put him down again. Buckley sits up and jackhammers Ruziboev with
right hands, and Peterson is watching closely as Ruziboev’s eye is
busted up. Buckley unleashes with everything he has, and Ruziboev
responds with several illegal upkicks that land on the spine and
the back of the head. Peterson calls time to acknowledge the foul,
and Buckley asks for them to be stood up. Ruziboev tries to offer a
glove touch, and Buckley shrugs him off. Ruziboev loads up on a
head kick, and Buckley walks him down and slugs him in the chops
right to the final horn. This matchup somehow has gone the
distance, although it is no question who will get their hand
raised. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Buckley (30-26 Buckley) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Buckley (30-27
Buckley) Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-8 Buckley (30-26 Buckley)

Ruziboev and Dumas go to work under the supervision of referee
“Shaolin” Ribeiro. Both middleweights are in orthodox stance, and
Dumas comes forward with kick feints and a long jab. Ruziboev isn’t
throwing anything back, but once he has the read, he nails Dumas
with a righty counter over the jab. Dumas backs off, and when they
come together again, Ruziboev meets him with an uppercut up the
middle. Ruziboev tries a lead left hook that glances, and backs
away from a Dumas front kick. Dumas continues to match forward, but
he backs away from the ensuing collision pawing at his right eye.
He looks at the referee, but Ribeiro either didn’t see a foul, or
saw a legal strike. Ruziboev gives no quarter, coming forward and laying into Dumas
with a string of punches. Dumas wilts under the barrage, covering
up as Ruziboev pours on the punishment. Ribeiro interposes himself
for the stoppage, but this is going to be one heavily viewed
replay. The replay, when it comes, shows Ruziboev
appearing to drag his open fingers across Dumas’ face during one of
the final exchanges. We will see if that leads to any sort of
appeal in the coming days.

Make no mistake, the UFC chose violence for this main card opener
in the middleweight division. With an astounding 42 finishes across
their 44 pro wins, both Ferreira (10-0, 1-0 UFC) and the debuting
Ruziboev (34-8-2, 2 NC; 0-0 UFC) would not like to leave this one
on the hands of the judges. Ready to intervene at any second will
be referee Mark Smith. The fighters clap hands together, and
Ruziboev moves to the center of the cage while Ferreira switches
stances several times. Ferreira absorbs a clean calf kick from a
safe distance, and he blocks a jump kick and throws a front kick
back. Ferreira slams his shin on the outside calf, and Ruziboev
turns his leg to prevent some of the damage. Ruziboev steps in with
a few punches, and Ferreira springs out of the way. Ruziboev catches a low kick and drills a straight right hand down
Broadway. Ferreira hits the mat, his head bouncing off the floor,
and he is stunned badly. “Black” hammers the nail with a fierce
series of punches, putting “The Hulk” to sleep with his final
onslaught. Smith waves the fight off, and Ruziboev has
just stamped the significant upset while becoming the first fighter
to beat the hard-charging Brazilian. With 33 finishes in his 35
victories, including this crushing knockout of a well-regarded
talent, Ruziboev names himself as one to watch going forward.

Nursulton Ruziboev

Fight History

Fighter Skills Radar

Key Insights

Striking Profile

Key Insights

Grappling Profile

Key Insights

Conclusions Summary