October 3, 2026 · Delta Center, Salt Lake City, United States
Pinas
10-1-0
UnrankedParamaribo, Suriname (represents Aruba) | 24 years old
Pulyaev
10-5-0
UnrankedChita, Russia | 29 years old
Baba Yaga vs. the Tall Southpaw
Pinas is 24, has nine knockouts in 10 wins and is 2-0 in the UFC without seeing round 2. Pulyaev stands 6'4", throws a nasty body kick and knows how to go three rounds, but he's dropped his last two.
Conviction
Conviction 5. Pinas' case rests on power, a patient counter game and what Gautier showed by dropping Pulyaev with an overhand right in round 1 and again while closing the distance in round 2. Reach doesn't help: it's basically a wash, and the Russian has the height and longer legs to fight at kicking range. The limit is the sample: nine minutes across the UFC and DWCS, mid-tier opposition and no fight that has reached round 3. Pulyaev showed resilience in one fight, getting dropped twice by Gautier and still going the distance, and he's gone three full rounds three times across the UFC and DWCS, but that doesn't settle the chin question: Gautier dropped him twice and Duncan hurt him on the fence late in round 3. This is a sporting read made without odds, and the probability is an editorial estimate, not a conversion of the score.
Conviction 5. Pinas' case rests on power, a patient counter game and what Gautier showed by dropping Pulyaev with an overhand right in round 1 and again while closing the distance in round 2. Reach doesn't help: it's basically a wash, and the Russian has the height and longer legs to fight at kicking range. The limit is the sample: nine minutes across the UFC and DWCS, mid-tier opposition and no fight that has reached round 3. Pulyaev showed resilience in one fight, getting dropped twice by Gautier and still going the distance, and he's gone three full rounds three times across the UFC and DWCS, but that doesn't settle the chin question: Gautier dropped him twice and Duncan hurt him on the fence late in round 3. This is a sporting read made without odds, and the probability is an editorial estimate, not a conversion of the score.
THE DECIDING FACTOR
Pinas' Right Hand Against Pulyaev's Range
Pulyaev wants to fight long: teeps, body kicks and a southpaw left thrown from the outside. He's 3 inches taller with the longer legs, so kicking range belongs to him. The trouble started when opponents closed the distance. Duncan pinned him to the fence with knees to the thigh and had him moving backward all fight. Gautier dropped him with an overhand right in round 1 and again when he closed the distance in round 2. Pinas doesn't have the size to get there: the arm reach is basically a wash. What he has is patience and a counter. Against Almeida he absorbed the early pressure, chopped the lead leg and found the right hand when Almeida threw an inside low kick. That's the danger zone for Pulyaev: the weapon that's worked best for him in the UFC, the kick, exposes the guy throwing it. Ruziboev caught his body kick to get the takedown. The caveat: no captured source shows that counter against a southpaw's body kick, and his record against southpaws wasn't verified. The other side is real too. Pulyaev survived two knockdowns from Gautier and went the full 15 minutes, and Pinas has never seen round 3. In round 3 of that fight, with both men slowing down, the Russian switched stances effectively, which opened up a nice left hand. Late in the round he stayed reserved at kicking range while Gautier stopped throwing punches, and the round account doesn't describe any body-kick output from him. If he survives the first round and can keep the body kicks coming all the way through, something the source doesn't show in that round 3, this becomes territory where nobody knows how Pinas will handle it.
Pulyaev wants to fight long: teeps, body kicks and a southpaw left thrown from the outside. He's 3 inches taller with the longer legs, so kicking range belongs to him. The trouble started when opponents closed the distance. Duncan pinned him to the fence with knees to the thigh and had him moving backward all fight. Gautier dropped him with an overhand right in round 1 and again when he closed the distance in round 2. Pinas doesn't have the size to get there: the arm reach is basically a wash. What he has is patience and a counter. Against Almeida he absorbed the early pressure, chopped the lead leg and found the right hand when Almeida threw an inside low kick. That's the danger zone for Pulyaev: the weapon that's worked best for him in the UFC, the kick, exposes the guy throwing it. Ruziboev caught his body kick to get the takedown. The caveat: no captured source shows that counter against a southpaw's body kick, and his record against southpaws wasn't verified. The other side is real too. Pulyaev survived two knockdowns from Gautier and went the full 15 minutes, and Pinas has never seen round 3. In round 3 of that fight, with both men slowing down, the Russian switched stances effectively, which opened up a nice left hand. Late in the round he stayed reserved at kicking range while Gautier stopped throwing punches, and the round account doesn't describe any body-kick output from him. If he survives the first round and can keep the body kicks coming all the way through, something the source doesn't show in that round 3, this becomes territory where nobody knows how Pinas will handle it.
Truth A
Pulyaev is 6'4", stopped Klein with a body kick and punches and survived two knockdowns from Gautier to go the distance. Pinas has never gone past round 2 and got hit a lot in a nine-minute sample.
Truth B
Pinas has nine knockouts in 10 wins and takedown defense that's already worked in the UFC. Pulyaev has lost three of four UFC fights: Duncan pinned him to the fence, Gautier dropped him with an overhand right in round 1 and again closing the distance in round 2, and Ruziboev beat him on the mat after catching a kick.
Tale of the Tape
UFC.com. UFCStats lists Pinas at 79 inches. The arm-reach gap is small; Pulyaev has the longer legs, 41.5 inches of leg reach to 40.5 on UFC.com
Open-stance matchup. Pulyaev switched stances against Gautier
Current Form
Damian Pinas
UFC 329. Pinas absorbed Almeida's early pressure, chopped the lead leg and countered an inside low kick with a right hand at 4:44 of round 1.
KO R1UFC debut in Mexico City. Three hard leg kicks, stuffed both of Schultz's takedown attempts and dropped him twice before the one-two that forced the stoppage at 2:30 of round 1.
TKO R1Contender Series, Week 8. An uppercut split Costa's guard, then a right hand dropped him face-first. The UFC's official result: TKO (right hand) at 1:46 of round 1. Earned the contract and became the first fighter to represent Aruba in the UFC.
TKO R1Shooto Brazil 127. One-punch knockout at 1:59 of round 1.
KO R1Shooto Brazil 125. Stopped him with punches at 4:01 of round 1.
TKO R1Red-hot. Six straight wins, all by knockout, and the last five inside the first round, including the Contender Series and both UFC fights. In July he flatlined veteran Cesar Almeida, who had never been stopped in MMA. The caveat is sample size: nine total minutes across DWCS and the UFC, and no pro fight of his has reached round 3. We found no dated reporting on his camp, weight cut or injuries. The bout was announced Aug. 18 with no opponent change.
Andrey Pulyaev
UFC Baku. Ruziboev caught a body kick and dragged him down. Pulyaev got up but couldn't break the bodylock on the fence, and Ruziboev took the back with both hooks and finished him with a rear-naked choke.
Sub R1UFC 324. Dropped by Gautier's right hand in round 1 and again in round 2, but bounced back behind body kicks and went the distance. 30-27, 29-28, 29-28.
Unanimous DecisionUFC on ESPN 71 (Taira vs. Park). Klein took him down repeatedly and controlled round 1. Pulyaev got back to his feet in round 2 and finished it with a body kick and punches at 1:31.
TKO R2UFC debut in London. Duncan pinned him to the fence with knees to the thigh, chopped him with leg kicks and hurt him late in round 3. 30-27, 30-27, 30-26.
Unanimous DecisionContender Series, Week 3. Took a three-round decision and earned the contract.
Unanimous DecisionRiding a two-fight skid and 1-3 in the UFC. In January, Ateba Gautier dropped him twice en route to a decision, but Pulyaev survived both knockdowns and went the full 15 minutes; in round 3, with both men slowing down, he stayed reserved at kicking range while Gautier stopped throwing punches. In June, Nursulton Ruziboev caught a body kick and took him down; Pulyaev got back up but got stuck in a bodylock on the fence, and Ruziboev took the back and choked him unconscious with a rear-naked choke at 3:58 of round 1. His lone UFC win was a comeback: Nick Klein owned round 1 on the mat before Pulyaev closed the show in round 2 with a body kick and punches. We found no dated reporting on his camp or injuries.
Level of Competition
No common opponents. Pulyaev has seen the tougher UFC slate: Duncan, Gautier and Ruziboev. Pinas has beaten Schultz and a 38-year-old Almeida, in the UFC, plus Vitor Costa on the Contender Series. The rest of his resume is regional: three fights on Shooto Brazil, two at Aruba FC and three more across VXFC, MFC and CFC. What Gautier did to Pulyaev tells us nothing direct about Pinas. Different fighters, different matchup.
Statistical Comparison
Sig. Strikes Landed per Min
UFC.com, combining UFC and Contender Series. Pinas has only nine minutes of sample; Pulyaev about 55
Sig. Strikes Absorbed per Min
Short sample for Pinas: he absorbed Almeida's early pressure in July
Striking Accuracy (%)
Sample size: Pinas: 90 · Pulyaev: 359
57 of 90 for Pinas; 200 of 359 for Pulyaev
Striking Defense (%)
Knockdowns per 15 Min (UFC.com)
Roughly four knockdowns in nine minutes for Pinas versus one in 55 for Pulyaev. Pinas' rate is inflated by the tiny sample
Takedown Defense (%)
Pinas stuffed both of Schultz's takedown attempts, though the 86% implies at least one takedown conceded in the nine-minute sample. Klein and Ruziboev both got Pulyaev down
Takedowns Landed per 15 Min
Neither is a wrestler by trade. Pinas completed no takedowns in nine minutes; UFC.com leaves his attempts blank, so the number of attempts is unknown
Pinas leads in 4 categories · Pulyaev leads in 3
Win & Loss Distribution
Wins
KO/TKO
Submission
Decision
Pinas has never won a decision: nine knockouts and one submission. Pulyaev is more varied, with six knockouts, two submissions (an armbar and a triangle) and two decisions, one of them on the Contender Series. The Russian has won on the cards before, but he lost both of his UFC decisions. Pinas hasn't even needed the judges yet.
Losses
KO/TKO
Submission
Decision
Disqualification
Pinas' only loss is a disqualification for an illegal kick at Shooto Brazil in 2024. Nobody has beaten him by knockout, submission or on the cards, but that isn't bulletproof status: none of his fights went past round 2, nine of 11 ended in round 1, and no captured source says whether he was dropped or hurt in any of them. Pulyaev has lost all three ways: a regional knockout in 2023, the Ruziboev choke and three decisions, two of them in the UFC: Duncan pinned him to the fence and had him backing up, and Gautier dropped him twice.
Skills Profile
Pinas
vs
Pulyaev
Knockout Power
+3 Pinas
Nine knockouts in 10 wins and two knockdowns in his debut against Schultz alone before the one-two that ended it. Pulyaev has six knockouts, but just one knockdown in roughly 55 minutes across the UFC and DWCS.
Range Striking
Even
Pinas pairs leg kicks with a clean one-two, but the arm reach is basically a wash (one inch in his favor) and Pulyaev is 3 inches taller with the longer legs. At kicking range, with the teep and the body kick, the Russian has the edge. His problem shows up when opponents close the distance: Duncan pinned him to the fence and Gautier dropped him closing range in round 2.
Chin & Durability
Even
Pulyaev got dropped twice by Gautier and still made it to the final bell, which is real durability data. For Pinas, no captured source shows him getting dropped or badly hurt, but the sample is short: nine of his 11 fights ended in round 1, none went past round 2, and his UFC and DWCS work adds up to nine minutes at 5.89 strikes absorbed per minute. Neither side supports a firm read.
Wrestling & Clinch
+1 Pinas
Sherdog calls Pulyaev's takedown defense and grappling long-standing liabilities, and Klein and Ruziboev backed that up. Pinas stuffed Schultz's attempts but has no recorded UFC takedowns; his offensive wrestling is unknown, not absent.
Three-Round Experience
+2 Pulyaev
Pulyaev has five fights decided on the scorecards, three of them full three-rounders across the UFC and DWCS. Pinas has never reached round 3 in 11 pro fights. That's an untested gas tank, not proof of a bad one.
Pinas owns the tools that usually end fights early: heavier hands, a patient counter game and takedown defense that held up against Schultz's attempts. Pulyaev has the size, the longer legs, the kicks and the reps in long fights. The big unknown is what happens if Pinas doesn't get it done in the first five minutes, because nobody has seen that in the UFC or on the Contender Series, and he's only reached round 2 twice on the regional scene.
Final Prediction
The Thesis
Conviction5/10The thesis is: Damian Pinas wins because he has the heaviest hands in the fight and a patient game of leg kicks, the one-two and the counter right, and because Pulyaev, against Gautier, got dropped by an overhand right in round 1 and again when his opponent closed the distance in round 2.
The thesis is: Damian Pinas wins because he has the heaviest hands in the fight and a patient game of leg kicks, the one-two and the counter right, and because Pulyaev, against Gautier, got dropped by an overhand right in round 1 and again when his opponent closed the distance in round 2.
The path is attacking the leg, closing distance without rushing and countering kicks with the right, the way he did on Almeida's low kick; no captured source shows it against a southpaw's body kick, and his record against southpaws wasn't verified. Size doesn't help Pinas: the arm reach is basically a wash and the Russian has the longer legs. It falls apart if Pulyaev weathers the first wave the way he did against Gautier and drags the fight into round 3, where Pinas has never been, or if his body kick controls the range and lands first.
What Breaks This Pick
- 01
If Pinas gets hit as easily as his short sample suggests, 5.89 strikes absorbed per minute, and Pulyaev's body kick lands early, the power edge stops mattering.
- 02
If Pulyaev eats Pinas' right hand in round 1 and the fight reaches round 3, we're in territory with zero data on Pinas, and it gets close to a coin flip.
- 03
If Pulyaev manages range with the teep without backing up in a straight line, Pinas' access to the right hand gets much harder.
- 04
If Pulyaev takes Pinas down or ties him up in the clinch against the fence, the fight leaves the range where Pinas' right hand decides it. The Russian lands just 0.27 takedowns per 15 minutes across the UFC and DWCS, and Pinas' 86% takedown defense comes from a nine-minute sample, so neither number settles it.
Underdog Path
Pulyaev survives round 1 without backing up in a straight line, circles away from Pinas' right hand and piles up teeps and body kicks. With Pinas fighting in rounds he's never seen, the Russian lands the southpaw left or a body kick followed by punches like he did against Klein, or takes a three-round decision.
Required Conditions
- Don't stand still in front of Pinas' right hand in round 1
- Kick the body without getting read or having the kick caught
- Survive at least one clean shot and recover, like he did against Gautier
- Keep the pace into round 3, where Pinas has no track record
— Precedent: Pulyaev vs Klein (UFC on ESPN 71, August 2025): lost round 1 clearly, came back in round 2 and finished it with a body kick and punches at 1:31. Klein is a wrestler, not a heavy-handed striker, so the transfer is limited, but it shows he can turn a fight around once he survives the start. Against Gautier and Duncan, surviving wasn't enough.
Verdict
Winner
Damian Pinas
Method
KO/TKO
Most likely winner
Damian Pinas wins
Pinas has the heavier shot and a counter that has already worked against a kick, and he's facing a fighter who went down twice against Gautier: an overhand right in round 1 and again when Gautier closed the distance in round 2. The uncertainty comes from Pinas' short sample, with no fight ever reaching round 3, from kicking range that favors the taller Russian and from the durability Pulyaev showed against Gautier. That's why the edge is real but narrow.
Stats That Matter
ZERO
fights Pinas has taken to round 3 across 11 pro bouts
His gas tank in a long fight is unknown, not bad
2
knockdowns Pulyaev suffered against Gautier
An overhand right in round 1 and another knockdown when Gautier closed the distance in round 2, but he finished all 15 minutes
6
straight wins for Pinas, all by knockout
The last five in round 1, UFC and Contender Series included
COLISEUM - Statistical and tactical analysis. Data sourced from ufcstats.com and public sources.
Damian "The Baba Yaga" Pinas vs Andrey Pulyaev | UFC 332: Silva vs. Wang | October 3, 2026 | Delta Center, Salt Lake City, United States
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