Nursulton Ruziboev continued his surge at UFC Fight Night 280, submitting Andrey Pulyaev in the opening round at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Ruziboev secured a technical submission by choke after taking Pulyaev to the ground and locking onto his back, ending the bout at the 3:58 mark of Round 1. With the win, Ruziboev’s record is listed as 37-9-2 MMA and 5-1 UFC, while Pulyaev falls to 10-5 MMA and 1-3 UFC.
The showing was described as a "flawless performance" and extends Ruziboev’s run to three consecutive victories inside the octagon. After the fight, he underlined his position in the division and his ambitions going forward.
"I'm 5-0 in the middleweight division," Ruziboev said. "I'm ready for anybody. I want people from the rankings. I want people from the top of the rankings."
