Preview: UFC on ESPN 54 ‘Blanchfield vs. Fiorot’

Middleweights

Nursulton Ruziboev (33-8-2, 1-0 UFC) vs. Sedriques Dumas (9-1, 2-1 UFC)

ODDS: Ruziboev (-265), Dumas (+215)

This should be a fascinating fight if nothing else, as both of these middleweight prospects are a bit hard to parse. Dumas looked like an interesting pickup for the UFC in 2022. A raw standout athlete, “The Reaper” scored an impressively quick guillotine choke to earn a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. However, the start of his UFC career was rather disastrous. Beyond some major legal issues surfacing that have continued over the last year, Dumas simply looked out of his depth against Josh Fremd, who was able to outwrestle him and score a submission with little issue. Dumas has rebounded with two wins since, though both were middling performances that mostly reflected the weaknesses of his opponents. Cody Brundage essentially lost their fight thanks to some poor grappling decisions, while Abu Azaitar was outwrestled early and unable to compete with Dumas’ length in a tepid striking match. Dumas should at least get a stiffer test in Uzbekistan’s Ruziboev, although his game is also a bit shaky.

Ruziboev came to the UFC in 2023 with a massive record in terms of quantity but questionable in terms of actual quality. A gigantic middleweight at 6-foot-5, Ruziboev would usually rely on intimidation to throw off his opponents and either score a knockout or snag a low-percentage submission. It was a bag of tricks that did not figure to work well at the UFC level, but then Ruziboev quickly knocked out Brunno Ferreira in his promotional debut. While it is unclear how much success Ruziboev will have going forward, it is confirmed that he will at least be dangerous. That is probably enough to give him the nod here, especially since Dumas figures to look to wrestle and give Ruziboev an opportunity to find something effective from his back. Beyond that, Dumas also does not figure to feel safe on the feet against a rare opponent who can match his size. It is hard to trust either fighter, but the pick is Ruziboev via first-round submission.

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Blanchfield vs. Fiorot
Luque vs. Buckley
Silva vs. Weidman
Ruziboev vs. Dumas
Algeo vs. Nelson
Njokuani vs. McKee
The Prelims