The head of UFC Dana White was impressed by the Russian fighter Albert Duraev's quick submission of Caio Bittencourt at Dana White's Contender Series. On the night of September 15, the former ACB two-division champion choked the Brazilian fighter and got a contract with the UFC.
“Would I be willing to put him in the cage with those middleweight top guys? Yes, that’s what I wanna see. Well, if you look at him and look at his record, the guy has 14 wins and 3 losses. This guy is a savage on the ground, so who couldn’t you match him up with right now in the UFC. It is nice to have another new exciting guy in that division.” Dana White said.
The 32-year-old Duraev has 14 wins and 3 losses. Albert is on a streak of nine straight wins. «Machete» had his previous fight in September 2018, defeating Piotr Strus by unanimous decision at ACB 89