Viacheslav Borshchev Record: 8-7-1

UFC run

Borshchev opened his Octagon tenure in January 2022 with a spectacular first-round liver-shot finish of Dakota Bush, a body-kick knockout that announced him as a must-watch striker. The level then rose sharply. He dropped consecutive decisions to Marc Diakiese and Mike Davis, both of whom used grappling to neutralize his stand-up. Borshchev rebounded in May 2023 with a second-round TKO of Maheshate Hayisaer, then fought a thrilling majority draw with Nazim Sadykhov at UFC 295 in November 2023, a back-and-forth firefight that earned widespread praise.

Later UFC years

The most recent stretch has been turbulent. Borshchev was submitted by Chase Hooper via D'Arce choke in May 2024 before rallying for a split-decision win over James Llontop that August. From there the results turned, with decision losses to Tom Nolan at UFC 312 and a first-round guillotine submission defeat to Terrance McKinney at UFC 317, followed by a unanimous-decision loss to Matheus Camilo at UFC 322 in November 2025. That sequence dropped his record to 8-7-1 and underlined the central tension of his career.

Fighting style

Borshchev is a pure striker, and the numbers reflect it: all six of his career stoppage wins have come by knockout or TKO, often via precise body work like the liver shots and kicks that produced some of his most memorable finishes. On the feet he is dangerous, technical and aggressive, with a 75% finish rate among his wins. The weakness is equally clear from the record – he has been submitted twice and out-grappled to several decision losses, with opponents repeatedly finding success by dragging the fight to the mat and away from his comfort zone.

Career highlights

• World kickboxing champion turned UFC knockout artist — built a decorated striking career in Russia before bringing that power to the Octagon.
• Highlight-reel UFC debut — finished Dakota Bush with a first-round liver kick, instantly establishing himself as a body-shot specialist.
• Fan-favorite firefight — fought Nazim Sadykhov to a majority draw at UFC 295 in one of the year's most exciting lightweight scraps.