Nursulton Ruziboev wasn’t necessarily the fighter with all the hype behind him heading into UFC Vegas 76, but there will be plenty of eyes on him now.
Taking on highly-touted prospect Brunno Ferreira on Saturday, Ruziboev didn’t look the least bit intimidated by the spotlight as he opened the main card from the UFC Apex. Standing 6-foot-5 tall, Ruziboev definitely had the height and reach advantage, which paid off in a huge way after he caught a kick from Ferreira and then countered with a straight right hand down the middle.
The punch blasted Ferreira on the jaw and sent him down to the canvas in a heap. Ruziboev followed with some vicious strikes on the ground to cap off his night, with the referee stopping the contest just 1:17 into the opening round.
Afterward, Ruziboev fought back the tears following his first UFC win after a 40-plus-fight career spent just waiting for this opportunity.
“I’ve been waiting for this for 10 years,” Ruziboev said following the win. “This is huge for me. I think God for everything.”
Coming into the fight, Ferreira was riding high after he pulled off an upset of his own with a knockout against Gregory Rodrigues in his octagon debut back in January. Ruziboev put a halt to that after he caught the kick attempt from Ferreira and then delivered the punch that led to the finish.
Ruziboev is a very interesting addition to the UFC’s middleweight division, especially if he can build off this win during his sophomore effort in the promotion.