Denis Tiuliulin

Denis Tiuliulin is a 36-year-old Russian middleweight striker who joined the UFC in March 2022 after a decade of regional fighting. A product of Moscow's striking scene and a former Thai boxing champion, he arrived in the Octagon with knockout credentials: nine KO wins and six first-round finishes to his name. His style is pure aggression at distance, landing 84% of his significant strikes from standing range and relying on raw power rather than technical acumen. Since his UFC debut, Tiuliulin has posted a 10-10 record, alternating wins and losses in a pattern that suggests both his ability to hurt opponents and his susceptibility to sharper, more technical strikers.

Tiuliulin's most recent bout was a unanimous decision loss to Sedriques Dumas in August 2024. Before that, he suffered back-to-back knockout losses to Christian Leroy Duncan and Gregory Rodrigues, both via striking, which exposed the downside of his high-risk, high-reward style. When he does land cleanly, the results are devastating: his TKO of Jamie Pickett in September 2022 remains a showcase of his finishing power. However, the pattern of losses to skilled opponents has made clear that UFC-level competition exploits his defense and footwork deficiencies.

For casual fans, Tiuliulin is a gatekeeper whose entry into the Octagon often signals either a career building opportunity for a prospect or a trap for a fighter in decline. His nine UFC knockouts are crowd-pleasing, but his balanced record and age mean he is unlikely to challenge for title contention. He remains active and dangerous as a mid-card middleweight capable of finishing almost any night out, but also just as likely to be finished himself.