There are good first impressions – and then there’s the picture-perfect knockout blow Nursulton Ruziboev landed at UFC on ESPN 47.
Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Ruziboev (35-8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) introduced himself to the international audiences – and his fist to the face of Brunno Ferreira (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC). In what almost looked like a fight scene out of a major motion picture, Ruziboev displayed impeccable timing when he caught Ferreira’s kick, came over the top with a punch, and blasted his opponent clear off the ground.
As Ferreira flew backward both of his feet flew toward the sky and he landed square on his back. Ruziboev blasted him with a few more punches until the referee dove in. The stoppage came at 1:17 of Round 1.
NURSULTON RUZIBOEV, WELCOME TO THE UFC 💥 #UFCVegas76 pic.twitter.com/ZupJfANQid
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 1, 2023
After the fight, Ruziboev was extremely emotional on the microphone, barely able to get any words out while he spoke with UFC commentator Michael Bisping.
Ruziboev, 29, had 44 professional MMA bouts prior to his short-notice UFC signing. The victory Saturday extends his winning streak to nine.
Ferreira, 30, is a Dana White’s Contender Series signee who won his promotional debut vs. Gregory Rodrigues by knockout.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 47 results include:
- Nursulton Ruziboev def. Brunno Ferreira via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:17
- Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Kevin Lee via technical submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:55
- Joanderson Brito def. Westin Wilson via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:54
- Karol Rosa def. Yana Santos via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Elves Brener def. Guram Kutateladze via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:17
- Luana Carolina def. Ivana Petrovic via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Alexandr Romanov def. Blagoy Ivanov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 47.
