Bryan Battle and Nursulton Ruziboev will meet in the first of many middleweight fights on the UFC 319 card on Saturday night. Battle is the betting favorite going into this fight. But both men enter this fight on winning streaks and this matchup could go either way in Chicago. Here, you can find my breakdown of this matchup in the middleweight division, including my Bryan Battle vs Nursulton Ruziboev prediction.
Our Bryan Battle vs Nursulton Ruziboev Pick
- Our Pick: Bryan Battle by Decision
- Confidence: 2/5
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Tale of the Tape
| Bryan Battle | Nursulton Ruziboev | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 30 | 31 |
| Height | 6’1″ | 6’5″ |
| Reach | 77″ | 76″ |
| Stance | Orthodox | Orthodox |
| Record | 13-2-0 (1 NC) | 36-9-2 (2 NC) |
Bryan Battle vs Nursulton Ruziboev Preview
Bryan Battle comes into this fight on a five-fight unbeaten streak. He most recently earned a split decision win over Randy Brown in December. The only fight he didn’t win over his last five outings was a no contest against Ange Loosa in March of 2024. Battle will look to avoid the loss column again in this fight in what is a huge night all over the middleweight division.
Nursulton Ruziboev has won two fights in a row heading into UFC 319. He got a decision win over Dustin Stoltzfus in his last fight in May. Ruziboev has been the more active fighter of the two combatants in this matchup. He has already collected two wins in 2025 and is going to try to win for the third time in a six-month stretch with a victory here.
Betting Insights
- Battle is a -170 favorite to end Ruziboev’s winning streak. Ruziboev is +142 to pick up the win for himself.
- The total for this fight is set at 2.5 rounds. Bookmakers have made the under -120 and the over -110. We could very well see this fight go to decision but oddsmakers are unsure on whether or not we get a finish.
- Four of Battle’s last five fights have ended inside the distance.
- Two of Ruziboev’s last three fights have gone to the judges.
Bryan Battle vs Nursulton Ruziboev Prediction
Bryan Battle is the busier fighter in terms of striking metrics. But Ruziboev is in rhythm after fighting multiple times over the course of this year. I think that Battle’s activity level will overwhelm Ruziboev in this matchup and that Ruziboev doesn’t quite have the ground game necessary to completely subdue the striking of Battle.
My best bet for this fight is for Battle to win the fight by decision. Ruziboev deserves a ton of credit for being ready to fight again and again on such quick turnarounds. But I don’t think that his gas tank is going to be enough to overcome the volume of strikes that are coming his way in this middleweight matchup from the Windy City.
