June 27, 2026 · National Gymnastics Arena, Baku
Ruziboev
36-9-2
Unranked MiddleweightUzbekistan (fights out of Philadelphia) | 32 years old
Pulyaev
10-4-0
Unranked MiddleweightNovosibirsk, Russia | 28 years old
The Finisher Against the Kick
Ruziboev has 33 stoppages in 36 wins and almost never gets put away. Pulyaev has the longer reach and the kick that ends nights, but the ground game is still a wide-open hole.
O PONTO QUE DECIDE
Who Chooses Where the Fight Happens
This is a chess match over distance. Andrey Pulyaev is the longer man, the southpaw, and the higher-volume striker at range, landing 3.84 significant strikes per minute to Ruziboev's 2.59 with a 2.5-inch reach edge. The southpaw body kick that flattened Nick Klein is the kind of weapon that wins rounds against an orthodox fighter. If he keeps the fight at range and piles up strikes from the outside, he steals the cards, which is exactly the path Duncan and Gautier used to beat the Russian. The problem is Pulyaev has a wide-open hole on the floor. A BJJ white belt, zero submission attempts in the UFC, and across from him is a man with 20 career submissions and 33 stoppages in 36 wins. Ruziboev almost never gets put away: only two of his 49 fights ended with him finished or knocked out. If the Uzbek closes the distance, gets to the clinch, or drags it to the mat, the conversation changes in a hurry. The wrinkle that keeps the fight alive is Ruziboev's own low takedown defense, 33%, and the fact that he isn't a volume wrestler, he shoots rarely (0.75 takedowns per 15 minutes). It's not just a button he presses to send the fight to his world.
This is a chess match over distance. Andrey Pulyaev is the longer man, the southpaw, and the higher-volume striker at range, landing 3.84 significant strikes per minute to Ruziboev's 2.59 with a 2.5-inch reach edge. The southpaw body kick that flattened Nick Klein is the kind of weapon that wins rounds against an orthodox fighter. If he keeps the fight at range and piles up strikes from the outside, he steals the cards, which is exactly the path Duncan and Gautier used to beat the Russian. The problem is Pulyaev has a wide-open hole on the floor. A BJJ white belt, zero submission attempts in the UFC, and across from him is a man with 20 career submissions and 33 stoppages in 36 wins. Ruziboev almost never gets put away: only two of his 49 fights ended with him finished or knocked out. If the Uzbek closes the distance, gets to the clinch, or drags it to the mat, the conversation changes in a hurry. The wrinkle that keeps the fight alive is Ruziboev's own low takedown defense, 33%, and the fact that he isn't a volume wrestler, he shoots rarely (0.75 takedowns per 15 minutes). It's not just a button he presses to send the fight to his world.
Truth A
Pulyaev has the reach, the volume and the nasty kick to do what Duncan and Gautier did: stay at range and outpoint from the outside for 15 minutes. Seven of Ruziboev's nine losses came on the cards.
Truth B
Pulyaev is a BJJ white belt with zero submission attempts in the UFC, facing a man with 20 submissions and 33 stoppages who almost never gets put away. If the fight touches the floor once, the Russian has a serious problem.
Tale of the Tape
Ruziboev is 4 years older
Pulyaev has a 2.5-inch reach edge, a real advantage at range
Asymmetric stance: orthodox vs southpaw
Current Form
Nursulton Ruziboev
Outworked the durable Stoltzfus over three rounds, set the pace, and earned his first UFC decision. Proof he can carry 15 minutes without his output dropping.
Unanimous DecisionFlattened newcomer McConico with a right hook 33 seconds into round 2, scoring two knockdowns along the way. A reminder the hands are genuinely heavy.
KO R2UFC 301. Moved up to welterweight and got outpointed by Buckley on volume. The blueprint to beat Ruziboev: stay at range, pile up strikes, never touch his ground game.
Unanimous DecisionWrecked Sedriques Dumas with an uppercut and ground-and-pound at 3:18 of round 1. The blend of heavy hands and top game that defines his style.
TKO R1UFC debut. Landed a counter right and finished the dangerous Brunno Ferreira with ground-and-pound in just over a minute. A loud entrance.
TKO R14-1 in the UFC and riding two straight wins, a flash knockout of McConico and a dominant decision over the tough Stoltzfus. His only recent loss came to Buckley, up at welterweight, in a volume fight where the St. Louis man outpointed him. At middleweight, Ruziboev is a different animal: heavy hands, a 6-foot-5 frame, and a submission game that shows up the second the fight hits the floor. He almost never gets finished.
Andrey Pulyaev
UFC 324. Controlled by Gautier on the cards (30-27, 29-28, 29-28). Couldn't impose his kicks or find his range over three rounds.
Unanimous DecisionFirst UFC win. Broke Klein down with a southpaw body kick and closed with a flurry at 1:31 of round 2. The nasty kick is his number-one weapon.
TKO R2UFC London. Debut. Got run over by Duncan, who outstruck him 116-36, dictated with leg kicks, and hurt him on the fence late. A teaching loss.
Unanimous DecisionContender Series. Beat Liam Anderson on the cards to earn his UFC deal. A controlled performance without the shine of his regional knockouts.
Unanimous DecisionShlemenko FC. Put away Well Oliveira with punches at 1:16 of round 1. His last stop on the Russian regional scene before the Contender Series.
TKO R11-2 in the UFC and coming off two straight losses, both by decision. Duncan outstruck him 116-36 and hurt him on the fence, and Gautier controlled the cards. In between, he showed what he's got: he stopped Nick Klein with a body kick in round 2. He's a tall southpaw with a nasty kicking game, but the ground math still doesn't add up, and he badly needs this win to avoid slipping to 1-3.
Level of Competition
No common opponents, but the calibre tells the story. Ruziboev is 4-1 in the UFC against a line of unranked, tough middleweights, with his only loss coming to Buckley at welterweight. Pulyaev has just three UFC fights and lost two, to the two best men he's faced (Duncan and Gautier), beating only debutant Klein. Neither is near the rankings yet, but Ruziboev is the far more seasoned fighter with a much deeper finishing resume.
Statistical Comparison
Sig. Strikes por Minuto
Pulyaev is the higher-volume, more accurate striker at range
Precisão de Strikes (%)
Strikes Absorvidos/Min
Both absorb at a similar rate, slight edge to the Uzbek
Defesa de Strikes (%)
Takedowns por 15 Min
Neither is a volume wrestler, but Ruziboev hits at 67% when he shoots
Precisão de Takedown (%)
Defesa de Takedown (%)
The hole in the math: Ruziboev's low takedown defense is the underdog's way in
Knockdown Médio
Ruziboev leads in 4 categories · Pulyaev leads in 4
Win & Loss Distribution
Wins
KO/TKO
Submission
Decision
The experience gap screams here. Ruziboev has 33 of his 36 wins by stoppage: 20 by submission (rear-naked chokes, kimuras, triangles, armbars) and 13 by knockout. Only three of his wins went to decision. This is a man who ALWAYS hunts the finish. Pulyaev is rawer and more striking-dependent: 6 of his 10 wins by knockout, 2 by submission, 2 by decision. The message for the method is clear: Ruziboev has more ways to finish, and if the fight hits the floor, his repertoire is on a different level.
Losses
KO/TKO
Submission
Decision
The loss profiles draw up the script. Ruziboev almost never gets put away: across nine losses, just one by knockout and one by submission, with seven on the scorecards. Translation: to beat the Uzbek you have to outpoint him from the outside for 15 minutes without touching his ground game, which is exactly what Buckley did. Pulyaev has a smaller sample, but the pattern is already there: three of his four losses by decision and one by knockout, zero by submission. He loses when he gets out-volumed (Duncan, Gautier) and has never been submitted. That's why the honest read isn't a specific Ruziboev submission, it's a fight that can go long.
Skills Profile
Ruziboev
vs
Pulyaev
Striking em Distância
+2 Pulyaev
Pulyaev is longer, he's the southpaw, and he lands more volume at range. The body kick that flattened Klein is a real weapon.
Striking em Curta Distância
+2 Ruziboev
In close, Ruziboev's heavy hands and ground-and-pound win out. That's how he stopped McConico, Dumas and Ferreira.
Poder de Nocaute
+2 Ruziboev
13 KOs and a 1.12 knockdown average for Ruziboev against 0.29 for Pulyaev. Both hit hard, but the knockdown history favors the Uzbek.
Defesa de Striking
+1 Pulyaev
Pulyaev has 55% defense and is tough to hit at range, but he's already been hurt by a man who pressured him (Duncan).
Grappling e Clinch
+4 Ruziboev
A chasm. Ruziboev has 20 career submissions and an elite ground game. Pulyaev is a BJJ white belt with zero submission attempts in the UFC.
Cardio (5 rounds)
+1 Ruziboev
Ruziboev took Stoltzfus the distance without fading, and Pulyaev can also go three rounds. A slight edge to the more seasoned man.
Pulyaev wins the minutes at range with his reach and southpaw kicks. Ruziboev wins the moment the fight gets short or hits the floor, where the grappling gap is enormous. The question is simple: can Ruziboev close the distance and drag the Russian into deep water, or does Pulyaev keep everything at the end of his strikes for 15 minutes?
Final Prediction
The Thesis
The thesis is: Nursulton Ruziboev wins because he's the far more complete finisher, with 33 stoppages in 36 wins and 20 submissions of varied repertoire, against a Pulyaev who's a BJJ white belt with zero submission attempts in the UFC, because he has the heavier hands in close, 13 knockouts and a 1.12 knockdown average that already flattened McConico and Dumas, and because the Russian is on a two-fight skid and still loses every time he gets controlled, the qualitative tell of a man who hasn't solved high-level competition.
The thesis is: Nursulton Ruziboev wins because he's the far more complete finisher, with 33 stoppages in 36 wins and 20 submissions of varied repertoire, against a Pulyaev who's a BJJ white belt with zero submission attempts in the UFC, because he has the heavier hands in close, 13 knockouts and a 1.12 knockdown average that already flattened McConico and Dumas, and because the Russian is on a two-fight skid and still loses every time he gets controlled, the qualitative tell of a man who hasn't solved high-level competition.
The path is Ruziboev weathering the distance kicks early, closing the gap with heavy hands or in the clinch, and from there either landing clean or dragging it to the floor to hunt the finish. It breaks down if Pulyaev uses his 78.5-inch reach and southpaw kicks to keep everything at range for 15 minutes, repeating the Duncan and Gautier blueprint, since Ruziboev's 33% takedown defense and his low shot volume don't guarantee the fight ever hits the mat.
Conviction
Conviction 6, no higher, because the underdog path is concrete and recent: Duncan outstruck Pulyaev 116-36 and Gautier controlled the cards, so we know you can beat him by keeping the distance, and Pulyaev has a 2.5-inch reach edge and more volume to try it against a Ruziboev who lost seven of nine by decision. What holds the conviction at 6 instead of dropping it to 5 is the depth of the Uzbek's finishing game against a white belt who's never even attempted a submission in the UFC: one sequence on the floor flips the fight. The edge comes from the grappling gap and the finishing instinct, not from a betting line, which hasn't even opened yet.
What Breaks This Pick
- 01
If Pulyaev dictates the distance with his southpaw kicks and reach as early as round 1, scoring from the outside and never letting Ruziboev close, he builds a lead on the cards and repeats what Duncan and Gautier did.
- 02
If Ruziboev can't get to the clinch or the mat, his 33% takedown defense stops mattering and the fight turns into a range duel where the Russian is longer and busier.
- 03
If Pulyaev lands the body kick or the southpaw cross clean, the way he did against Klein, Ruziboev's 1.12 knockdown average cuts both ways and the night could end early for the wrong side.
- 04
If Ruziboev rushes the knockout and burns his gas tank chasing a takedown that doesn't come, he opens windows for the faster Russian's counter.
Underdog Path
Pulyaev uses his 78.5-inch reach and southpaw base to live at the end of his strikes, punishes with body and leg kicks, refuses the clinch bait, and mixes in enough movement to keep Ruziboev from closing. He steals rounds on volume and manages the 15 minutes, exactly what Duncan and Gautier did to beat him, now with him on the right side of the math.
Required Conditions
- Keep the distance and rack up volume with the southpaw kicks without standing still in Ruziboev's pocket
- Defend the Uzbek's clinch entries and takedown attempts, leaning on his own 64% takedown defense
- Don't take the bait into a firefight in the pocket, where the Russian's hands are heavier
- Sustain his output from start to finish over three rounds, without giving up the cage control Duncan exploited against him
— Precedent: Buckley vs Ruziboev (UFC 301, May 2024): at welterweight, Buckley outpointed the Uzbek on volume and movement, never engaging his ground game, and took the unanimous decision. That's the blueprint to beat Ruziboev, and Pulyaev has the reach and striking to try the same.
Verdict
Winner
Nursulton Ruziboev
Method
Decision
Most Likely
- 01
Winner
Nursulton Ruziboev
Ruziboev because he's the more complete finisher and the grappling gap against a white belt is enormous. The lines aren't out yet, so this is a read, not a price. Breaks if Pulyaev keeps everything at range over three rounds.
- 02
Método
Ruziboev to win inside the distance
Inside the distance because 33 of Ruziboev's 36 wins were stoppages and Pulyaev has an open hole on the floor. Breaks if the fight stays standing and the Uzbek can't close or take it down.
- 03
Vencedor azarão
Pulyaev by decision
The cleanest way the underdog wins: reach, volume and southpaw kicks from the outside, never accepting the clinch or the mat, the Duncan blueprint. Breaks if he gets taken down once or trades even in close.
Most Likely Outcome
Ruziboev, moderate stake
It's the soundest read in the analysis on the finishing gap, but conviction 6 calls for a moderate stake. Pulyaev's reach and volume, plus Ruziboev's own low takedown defense, keep this well short of a safe bet.
Stats That Matter
33
Ruziboev stoppages in 36 wins, against a Pulyaev who's a BJJ white belt
20 submissions and 13 knockouts, the toolkit of a man who knows how to end fights
33%
Ruziboev's takedown defense, the hole that keeps the underdog alive
If Pulyaev defends the floor, this becomes a range chess match
ZERO
Pulyaev submission attempts in the UFC across three fights
The ground game is the Russian's blind spot, against a specialist no less
The Trap
Pulyaev by knockout
The public will remember the kick that flattened Klein and bet Pulyaev by knockout, assuming the southpaw striking carries the night. But Ruziboev almost never gets put away, just one KO loss in nine defeats and two stoppages in 49 fights. If the Russian wins, the far more likely route is a decision at range, Duncan-style, not a knockout against a chin that's held up his entire career.
The public will remember the kick that flattened Klein and bet Pulyaev by knockout, assuming the southpaw striking carries the night. But Ruziboev almost never gets put away, just one KO loss in nine defeats and two stoppages in 49 fights. If the Russian wins, the far more likely route is a decision at range, Duncan-style, not a knockout against a chin that's held up his entire career.
COLISEUM - Statistical and tactical analysis. Data sourced from ufcstats.com and public sources.
Nursulton "Black" Ruziboev vs Andrey Pulyaev | UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs Torres | June 27, 2026 | National Gymnastics Arena, Baku
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