Nursulton Ruziboev submits Andrey Pulyaev in first round at UFC Baku

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BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - JUNE 27: (R-L) Nursulton Ruziboev of Uzbekistan secures a rear choke submission against Andrey Pulyaev of Russia in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at National Gymnastics Arena on June 27, 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Nursulton Ruziboev is having quite the time since returning to the UFC’s middleweight division. On Saturday, that success continued as Ruziboev picked up his third straight victory with a nasty rear-naked choke submission over Andrey Pulyaev on the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC Baku event. Check out the finish in the video below. Nursulton Ruziboev SLEEPS Andrey Pulyaev with a brutal choke at #UFCBaku pic.twitter.com/suI7PqVAvu — MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 27, 2026 The official time of the stoppage was 3:58 of the first round. Throughout the short contest, Ruziboev was aggressive looking for chokes on the mat. Eventually, he got it, and made the most of it with an impressive squeeze that had Pulyaev’s eyes rolling to the back of his head. With the victory, Ruziboev (37-9-2, 2 NC) adds to his win streak, that includes victories over Dustin Stoltzfus and Eric McConico. The 32-year-old has quietly put together a 5-1 promotional record, with the lone loss coming to Joaquin Buckley in a welterweight bout at UFC St. Louis in May 2024.

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Nursulton Ruziboev did bad things to Andrey Pulyaev at UFC Baku.

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Nursulton Ruziboev makes quick work of his opponent at UFC Baku