Nursulton Ruziboev Record: 37-9-2

Making an impact in the UFC

Ruziboev announced himself immediately. In his 2023 short-notice debut he knocked out the previously undefeated Brunno Ferreira in the first round, an emphatic first impression. He followed it in March 2024 with another first-round TKO, this time stopping Sedriques Dumas. His first Octagon setback came two months later, when he dropped a unanimous decision to the surging Joaquin Buckley – a fight that showed the level still ahead of him but did little to dim his stock.

Building momentum

Ruziboev got back in the win column in 2025, stopping Eric McConico with strikes in the second round and then grinding out a unanimous decision over the experienced Dustin Stoltzfus. That two-fight run reestablished him as a live threat in the division, and he is next scheduled to face Andrey Pulyaev as he looks to keep climbing.

Fighting style

Ruziboev is one of the most finish-oriented fighters on the roster, with a finish rate around 92% – an extraordinary 20 submissions and 13 knockouts among his 36 wins, and only three decision victories. His size and reach let him control distance and set up his grappling, where a deep arsenal of chokes, kimuras and armbars makes him dangerous the moment a fight hits the mat. He can also end things on the feet, as his UFC knockouts show. The questions at the elite level are about pace and decision-making over three rounds against high-level pressure, as the Buckley loss illustrated, but few opponents are safe once Ruziboev gets his hands on them.

Career highlights

• Knockout UFC debut — stopped the previously undefeated Brunno Ferreira in the first round on short notice in 2023.
• Elite finishing rate — built a 36-9-2 record with 33 of his wins by knockout or submission, a finish rate near 92%.
• Prolific submission game — tallied 20 career submissions across a long professional run before translating it to the UFC.