Three Fighters to Watch at RUF 68: Elliott, Preissing, and Encinas Have Been Ending Fights Early
RUF 68 is scheduled for Celebrity Theatre on Friday, May 2nd, and three names currently slated for the card have a specific thing in common. None of them have been going the distance.
Ezra Elliott, Alex Preissing, and Marcos Encinas have combined for five straight RUF finishes across the last three events. Zero decisions. Most of them wrapped before the second round. If you like fights that end, this card looks like a solid starting point.
Fight cards are always subject to change. Matchups, weights, and order can shift right up until fight night. Check the most recent updates before making plans.
Ezra Elliott: 6-0, Chasing Something Bigger
Elliott is the most experienced name of the three, and his Combat Registry page tells the story in one number. Finish rate: 100%.
He's 6-0 as a pro. Five submissions, one TKO. His average fight length in wins is one minute and 35 seconds. His quickest submission was 61 seconds. He came up through the Montana scene at Fusion Fight League, picked up a Legacy Fighting Alliance win in March 2025, then submitted Darian Padgett at RUF 63 in June and De'Aundre Tipton at RUF 65 in November. Both first round, both by choke.
Elliott trains out of The MMA Lab according to our records. He's currently scheduled to face Ashton Caniglia (7-8) at featherweight.
Note for the record: Elliott has a non-regulated bout dated 04/04/2026 on his Combat Registry profile connected to United Fight League. His official ABC-sanctioned record stands at 6-0.
Alex Preissing: Pro 2-0, Both Submissions, Both at RUF
Preissing has the cleanest RUF finishing streak on the card. He's 2-0 as a pro. Both fights came at RUF. Both ended with submissions in the first round.
At RUF 65 in November, he took out Shawn Winland with a D'arce choke at 2:13 of round one. Three months later at RUF 66 in February, he caught Alexander Carrillo with a rear naked choke at 2:41 of round one. Same round, similar time stamp, two different finishes.
As an amateur he went 5-1, with two submission wins and two decision wins. The pro version has been more efficient. His finish rate is 100% and he has not seen the second round yet as a professional.
Preissing is currently training out of Red Hawk Academy based on his active Instagram. He's currently scheduled to face Kendell Ward (1-1) at flyweight. Ward comes in with a split record and Preissing has yet to face a live puncher who tested his stand-up. That could be the question this weekend.
Marcos Encinas: Two Amateur Fights, Two Finishes
Encinas is the newest name of the three. Two amateur bouts, both wins, both finishes.
His debut at RUF 65 was the kind of result that gets remembered. He caught Omar Barrera with a knockout at 20 seconds of round one. Not a flash knockdown that turned into a stoppage. A clean 20-second KO in a flyweight amateur debut. Three months later at RUF 66, he beat Paul Alvarado by TKO via doctor stoppage in round two.
According to our records, Encinas trains out of Arizona Combat Sports. He's currently scheduled for the prelims against Niko Mills (3-2). Mills has more cage time to work with. For Encinas, this is the fight that tells you whether the early finishes scale up against someone who has seen a few more rounds.
What This Means for the Card
RUF 68 is not a card where these three are expected to headline. What they have in common is recent form that suggests Celebrity Theatre fans are not sitting through a lot of decisions from this trio, at least if the bouts land the way the public card shows.
Doors open early. Weigh-ins run the day before. We'll be there covering all of it.
Records verified via Combat Registry as of April 23, 2026. Gym affiliations pulled from MMA Stalker coverage records and fighter social media where available. Fight card is subject to change. RUF 68 is scheduled for Friday, May 2nd at Celebrity Theatre, 440 N 32nd St, Phoenix, Arizona.
