Nursulton Ruziboev

Ruziboev stopped Eric McConico only 33 seconds into the second round, a reminder that even when opponents survive the opening frame he can still switch back into sudden-finisher mode instantly.

Key moments

• The stoppage came 33 seconds into round two.
• Ruziboev won by TKO punches rather than submission.
• It was his second UFC finish in three appearances at that point.

Ruziboev announced himself in the UFC by knocking out Brunno Ferreira with punches at 1:17 of round one, extending the long regional surge he carried into the promotion.

Key moments

• Ruziboev finished Ferreira by KO at 1:17 of round one.
• The bout served as his UFC debut after years of regional work across Central Asia and Russia.
• He followed the debut knockout with another UFC finish over Sedriques Dumas in his next outing.

Ruziboev stopped Eduard Arustamyan by TKO (Punches) at 1:51 of round 1, another sharp finish from the stretch that built his eventual UFC call-up.

Key moments

• Eduard Arustamyan was finished by TKO (Punches) at 1:51 of round 1.
• The stoppage reinforced that he could end fights with strikes as well as his usual grappling threats.
• Ruziboev followed this performance with 4 consecutive wins.

Ruziboev stopped Alex de Paula by TKO (Punches) at 3:41 of round 1, another sharp finish from the stretch that built his eventual UFC call-up.

Key moments

• Alex de Paula was finished by TKO (Punches) at 3:41 of round 1.
• The stoppage reinforced that he could end fights with strikes as well as his usual grappling threats.
• Ruziboev followed this performance with 6 consecutive wins.

The result kept his resurgence rolling and underlined that his finishing threat was not limited to submissions.

Key moments

• It was his third straight win since the 2019 loss to Boris Miroshnichenko.
• The bout came under the Brave CF banner during his 2021 return to form.
• Ruziboev followed it with four more consecutive wins before reaching the UFC.

Ruziboev's meeting with Altynbek Arykbaev ended as a no contest after initially going into the books before the promoter overturned it.

Key moments

• The listed ending came at 5:00 of round one before the overturn.
• It broke up a sequence of three fights in 2019 that otherwise included two clear wins and one decision loss.
• Because the bout was overturned, it does not count toward his official win-loss denominator.

Kiamrian Abbasov beat Ruziboev over three rounds in their 2018 rematch, evening a rivalry Ruziboev had first led with a 2014 guillotine win.

Key moments

• Abbasov won a unanimous decision after three full rounds.
• The result reversed Ruziboev's 2014 submission victory in their first meeting.
• Ruziboev answered the setback with back-to-back wins over Andrey Seledtsov and Marcos Yoshio de Souza.

Ruziboev stopped Igor Bayer by TKO (Elbows and Punches) at 3:55 of round 1, another sharp finish from the stretch that built his eventual UFC call-up.

Key moments

• Igor Bayer was finished by TKO (Elbows and Punches) at 3:55 of round 1.
• The stoppage reinforced that he could end fights with strikes as well as his usual grappling threats.
• Ruziboev followed this performance with 2 consecutive wins.

Ruziboev stopped Artem Kazbanov by KO (Knee) at 0:45 of round 1, another sharp finish from the stretch that built his eventual UFC call-up. It helped launch another positive stretch, and he followed it with 1 more win in a row.

Key moments

• Artem Kazbanov was finished by KO (Knee) at 0:45 of round 1.
• The stoppage reinforced that he could end fights with strikes as well as his usual grappling threats.
• Ruziboev followed this performance with 1 consecutive win.

Ruziboev's win over Ramazan Gimbatov was one leg of an extraordinary three-fight day at Fight Show 777, where he kept moving from bout to bout and still found a first-round armbar.

Key moments

• Ruziboev submitted Gimbatov with an armbar at 1:21 of round one.
• It was one of three professional wins he recorded on the same May 20, 2017 card.
• He added a decision over Arman Alimov and a stoppage of Artem Reznikov on the same date.

On the same Fight Show 777 card, Ruziboev also went the distance with Arman Alimov and banked a unanimous decision, showing he could mix tournament volume with patience when an instant finish did not appear.

Key moments

• Ruziboev beat Alimov by unanimous decision after two rounds.
• It was one of three wins he recorded on the same day at Fight Show 777.
• He sandwiched it between a first-round armbar over Gimbatov and a first-round stoppage of Reznikov.

Ruziboev completed his three-fight day at Fight Show 777 by stopping Artem Reznikov with knees and punches in the opening round.

Key moments

• The stoppage came at 1:23 of round one by knees and punches.
• It was the third professional win Ruziboev logged on the same May 20, 2017 card.
• The fight completed a same-day set that also included Arman Alimov and Ramazan Gimbatov.
• The win fed directly into another first-round submission over Aylchi Sultanali six weeks later.

Ruziboev stopped Suyarbek Saifov by KO (Punches) at 3:14 of round 1, another sharp finish from the stretch that built his eventual UFC call-up. It helped launch another positive stretch, and he followed it with 4 more wins in a row.

Key moments

• Suyarbek Saifov was finished by KO (Punches) at 3:14 of round 1.
• The stoppage reinforced that he could end fights with strikes as well as his usual grappling threats.
• Ruziboev followed this performance with 4 consecutive wins.