Andrey Pulyaev became the first fighter in the Octagon to make it past round one with Ateba Gautier, let alone go the distance with him. While that might be enough for a moral victory, Gautier still scored the decision win at UFC 324.
Gautier cracked Pulayev with a right hand less than 15 seconds into the fight, and it looked like this one would be put away quickly like all of Gautier's other fights. Pulayev, however, managed to survive the onslaught and looked to keep his distance.
Pulayev found success with his distance-based kicks, circling away from the power of Gautier. Still, Gautier managed to stun Pulayev on a few occasions during the second and third rounds, including another dropping of Pulayev during the final frame.
The judges scored the bout 30-27, 29-28 (x2) in Pulayev's favor.
Ateba Gautier Goes The Distance, Defeats Andrey Pulayev At UFC 324
Gautier is now 4-0 in the UFC since coming in from Dana White's Contender Series. He entered this fight off a first-round finish of Tre'ston Vines at UFC 320.
Pulayev is 1-2 in the UFC since his own DWCS appearance. He earned his first UFC win last time out, defeating Nick Klein.