Following DWCS 69 contract win, Andrey Pulyaev hopes to make UFC debut in December

LAS VEGAS – Andrey Pulyaev doesn’t want to wait till 2025 for his UFC debut.

Following a UFC contract win at Dana White’s Contender Series 69 on Tuesday, the Russian middleweight made his plans clear – he wants to fight again this year, and hopefully return to Las Vegas for his UFC debut.

“In an ideal scenario, I would like to fight in December,” Pulyaev told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the DWCS 69 post-fight press conference. “And speaking of the venue, at this point it doesn’t really matter for me. As a matter of fact, I really like it over here in Vegas, and I would like a second to appreciate the help of all the UFC employees and UFC staff, all the athletic commission because everyone was super helpful. I could tell they’re professionals of really high class. We were watched and taken care of, and there was nothing that we wanted to have that we didn’t have.

“So I really felt great here, so I wouldn’t mind fighting in Vegas, maybe Apex arena again. But as I said, at this point the venue itself doesn’t really matter.”

Pulyaev (9-2) defeated Liam Anderson via unanimous decision to get himself a contract with the UFC. His bout served as the main event of the card, which drew more attention on his win.

“I didn’t feel any pressure because it was the main event,” Pulyaev said. “I really felt a lot of pressure because this was my first fighting the U.S. This was my first fight abroad and right away there was like a huge step in competition, a huge step in my career.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 69.