Bryan Battle to Meet Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC 319 in Chicago

Bryan Battle (12-2) and Nursulton Ruziboev (36-9) are scheduled to meet in a middleweight contest at UFC 319.

Both Battle and Ruziboev confirmed the matchup on social media following an initial report from Home of Fight. UFC 319 takes place on Aug. 16 at the United Center in Chicago and is headlined by a middleweight title clash between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.

The winner of “The Ultimate Fighter 29,” Battle made his UFC debut in 2021. “The Butcher” has finished five of his seven UFC wins while only dropping a decision against Rinat Fakhretdinov. Currently unbeaten in five outings, Battle is coming off a split-decision win over Randy Brown. 

Meanwhile, Ruziboev paid his dues on the regional circuit before making his UFC debut in 2023. After starting with back-to-back first-round knockout wins, Ruziboev came up short against a big step up in competition in Joaquin Buckley. “Black” has since bounced back with wins over Eric McConico and Dustin Stoltzfus.