You only get one shot to make a good first impression. It looks as though Mashrabjon Ruziboev ruined that opportunity with Dana White and the brass at the UFC.
The promotion released the 29-year-old on Tuesday, and it came before he had his first fight, per UFC Roster Watch.
Ruziboev was booked to be Jared Gordon’s short-notice opponent (a replacement for Kauê Fernandes) on February 15 at UFC Vegas 102. Ruziboev was set to step in on four days’ notice but wound up pulling out two days later due to weight-cutting complications, per Tapology.
Because of Ruziboev’s late scratch, Gordon ended up without a fight—despite training to compete—which is a tough pill to swallow for any fighter.
It’s especially tough for a guy like Gordon, who has had his share of personal struggles, and at 36, there’s no telling how much longer he’ll be able to compete.
Ruziboev is currently on a seven-fight win streak. However, he hasn’t fought since October 2023, and none of those wins have come while being part of a top MMA organization. Ruziboev’s older brother, Nursulton, is currently a potential middleweight contender.
He just scored a second-round KO win over Eric McConico at UFC Seattle on February 22. McConico was a replacement fighter for Rinat Fakhretdinov. It is unclear if the younger Ruziboev brother will ever get another shot at the UFC.
There isn’t a particularly large window for lightweights pushing 30 who haven’t yet made a major mark in the sport with one of the other top promotions. It may help that his brother is in the UFC and performing well.
However, the quick trigger on the release is probably not a good sign. It’ll be interesting to see if his name is called again for a late-replacement opportunity. Despite his age, perhaps he could be a fit for Dana White’s Contender Series later in the year.
There, he’ll likely need to make a significant splash to be chosen by the boss.
Up Next – UFC Vegas 103
The men’s flyweight division will take center stage at UFC Vegas 103 on Saturday, March 1, in Las Vegas. No. 6 Manel Kape will try to prevent No. 8 Asu Almabayev from jumping him in line for a shot at the UFC flyweight title.
With champion Alexandre Pantoja seemingly set to defend his title against Kai Kara-France next, Kape and Almabayev are vying to be next in line. Almabayev has never had a shot at the champion, but Pantoja has already faced and defeated Kape.
In the co-main event, Cody Brundage and Julian Marquez will collide in what figures to be an all-action fight while it lasts. The loser of this fight will, at best, be on the cut bubble.
Here is a look at the entire card:
- Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabayev – Flyweight
- Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez – Middleweight
- Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics – Lightweight
- Austen Lane vs. Mario Pinto – Heavyweight
- William Gomis vs. Hyder Amil – Featherweight
- Danny Barlow vs. Sam Patterson – Welterweight
- Ricardo Ramos vs. Chepe Mariscal – Featherweight
- Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. John Castañeda – Bantamweight
- Andrea Lee vs. JJ Aldrich – Flyweight
- Lucas Almeida vs. Danny Silva – Featherweight
- Montana De La Rosa vs. Luana Carolina – Flyweight
- Charles Johnson vs. Ramazan Temirov – Flyweight
