BOUTSCOUT
Matchup deep-dive

Eric McConico vs.
Nursulton Ruziboev

Two full careers, measured against each man's own division and against each other — the tape, the read, and every number behind them.

2-2-0 Eric McConico · UFC
5-1-0 Nursulton Ruziboev · UFC
Tale of the tape

The men, measured.

Frame, age, layoff and recent form — green marks the edge on each line.

2-2-0
UFC record
5-1-0
Middleweight
Division (benchmark)
Middleweight
36.2
AgeΔ 3.5 yrs
32.7
6'0"
HeightΔ 5"
6'5"
77"
ReachΔ 1"
76"
Southpaw
Stance
Orthodox
3.4
Layoff (months)Δ 2.1 mo
1.3
WLWL
Last 5 (newest first)
WWWLW
The read

What the numbers say.

Scouting notes, auto-generated — only stats deviating more than 25% from the division median make this list. No narratives, just deviations.

Nursulton Ruziboev carries real power — 1.02 knockdowns per 15 minutes, vs a 0.32 Middleweight norm.
Eric McConico rarely shoots — 0.64 takedowns per 15 minutes, vs a 1.42 Middleweight norm.
Nursulton Ruziboev's takedown defense leaks — 33% stopped, vs a 63% Middleweight norm.
Level of competition

Who did they actually beat?

Full-career records re-graded by the tier of opposition — the same grading the Contender Series pick model uses. Records built on tier-4 competition are worth less than records built on killers.

Eric McConico

Full career not yet synced for Eric McConico — tier grading appears once their record documentation lands (refreshes weekly).

In the UFC: 1-2 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +1.0 wins over .500

Nursulton Ruziboev

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 51
Tier 3 — regional circuit 308

Tier-weighted record quality: 0.94 · 5 tier-1/2 wins · 33 finish wins over 48 documented bouts

In the UFC: 2-1 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +0.5 wins over .500

Striking

The stand-up battle.

Career totals; norms are the medians of each man's own division.

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

1382.92/min · norm 3.25
Sig. strikes landed
1052.38/min · norm 3.25
1443.05/min · norm 3.20
Sig. strikes absorbed
1182.68/min · norm 3.20
46.9%norm 47.4%
Striking accuracy
46.5%norm 47.4%
45.7%norm 53.8%
Striking defense
49.4%norm 53.8%
00.00/15 · norm 0.32
Knockdowns
31.02/15 · norm 0.32

Where the fight happens (share of sig. strike attempts)

Eric McConico

Distance 85.0% (norm 79.4%) · Clinch 15.0% (norm 9.1%) · Ground 0.0% (norm 10.3%)

Nursulton Ruziboev

Distance 77.0% (norm 79.4%) · Clinch 5.8% (norm 9.1%) · Ground 17.3% (norm 10.3%)

What they throw (share of sig. strike attempts by target)

Eric McConico

Head 78.6% (norm 78.0%) · Body 12.9% (norm 13.4%) · Legs 8.5% (norm 8.4%)

Nursulton Ruziboev

Head 76.5% (norm 78.0%) · Body 19.9% (norm 13.4%) · Legs 3.5% (norm 8.4%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

Green ≥ division median, red below. UFCStats tracks position and target as separate splits.

Zone McConico L/AAccMiddleweight med Ruziboev L/AAccMiddleweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 106 / 250 42.4% 40.5% 75 / 174 43.1% 40.5%
In the clinch 32 / 44 72.7% 70.3% 8 / 13 too few to rate 70.3%
On the ground 0 / 0 too few to rate 69.1% 22 / 39 56.4% 69.1%
BY TARGET
To the head 89 / 231 38.5% 38.9% 72 / 173 41.6% 38.9%
To the body 26 / 38 68.4% 71.7% 27 / 45 60.0% 71.7%
To the legs 23 / 25 92.0% 83.3% 6 / 8 too few to rate 83.3%

Zones with fewer than 25 attempts are marked "too few to rate". Each fighter is measured against the median of leaderboard-eligible fighters in his own division (Middleweight: 174 fighters · Middleweight: 174 fighters).

What lands on them Opponents' accuracy against each man

Green ≤ division median — harder to hit than the typical man in his division.

Zone vs McConico L/AOpp accMiddleweight med vs Ruziboev L/AOpp accMiddleweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 109 / 215 50.7% 39.5% 45 / 124 36.3% 39.5%
In the clinch 34 / 49 69.4% 70.9% 1 / 2 too few to rate 70.9%
On the ground 1 / 1 too few to rate 69.0% 72 / 107 67.3% 69.0%
BY TARGET
To the head 76 / 187 40.6% 37.9% 77 / 178 43.3% 37.9%
To the body 43 / 50 86.0% 71.3% 21 / 31 67.7% 71.3%
To the legs 25 / 28 89.3% 82.1% 20 / 24 too few to rate 82.1%
Grappling

The ground war.

Takedowns, control and submissions — career totals with each man's per-minute rates against his division norm.

2100.0% acc · 0.64/15 · norm 1.42
Takedowns landed
480.0% acc · 1.36/15 · norm 1.42
2069.0% def · norm 63.1%
Takedowns stopped
333.3% def · norm 63.1%
6:2013.4% of cage time · norm 19.75%
Control time
7:0416.0% of cage time · norm 19.75%
15:414:59 per 15 · norm 3:00
Time under control
10:413:38 per 15 · norm 3:00
00.00/15 · norm 0.47
Submission attempts
10.34/15 · norm 0.47

Bars compare the two men's rates (per-minute / per-15 figures), not raw totals — Ruziboev has more cage time on record.

Next move

Let the engine settle it.