Mauricio Ruffy Believes He Would Crush Current UFC Star in 1 Round

The confidence for Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Mauricio Ruffy is through the roof.

Ruffy (12-1), who recently suggested that he would lay waste to recently victorious Ilia Topuria, is gunning for anyone with name recognition at 155 pounds. The Brazilian spoke to SpinGenie on Friday, where he gave a thorough overview of his division and where he believes he stands in it.

With a crushing knockout of Bobby Green atop his highlight reel from March, Ruffy believe it is his time to get a ranked adversary. The Fighting Nerds staple does not want just any random top-15er, either. He wants a name. Knowing he might not get the specific person he is seeking, Ruffy has a few adversaries in mind.

“If I had to choose, I'd definitely fight Paddy Pimblett today,” Ruffy wished. “However, I know that fight will happen later because the UFC is heavily invested in both of us. Being close to emerging athletes like Caio [Borralho], Jean [Silva] and Diego Lopes, I've seen how quickly things progressed for them due to their performance. Recently, I've had some of the most dominant performances in the UFC, barely taking a punch in my three fights. The UFC seems to be offering opportunities based on performance. After my last fight, they even offered me Justin Gaethje, a top-five fighter, though he didn't accept.”

The Brazilian continued, “Some of my fans might think I can't fight a top-ten opponent if I'm not ranked yet, but the UFC offered me a top-five fighter before my fight against Green. So, I'm sure the offers after this fight will be exciting for the crowd. I'd choose Paddy Pimblett because I'm confident I could showcase my skills against his grappling-heavy style and ultimately nullify his game.”

With Pimblett very likely entangled in the title picture, the unranked Ruffy is not going to lose any sleep if that is not the next man he sees standing across the cage with him. He knows that he might need to face someone in the lower part of the top 15 before further climbing the ladder.

“I believe that Michael Chandler or [Benoit] St. Denis could be next,” Ruffy pitched. “The UFC also offered me Mateusz Gamrot, but we were four days away from the fight and Jean Silva would be there to fight, so none of my coaches would be in the corner. This put us in a difficult position to accept the fight. Nevertheless, I'm confident that a significant opponent, like Michael Chandler, Mateusz Gamrot, or St. Denis, will eventually come my way. We'll see how it unfolds.”

Ruffy Critical of Countryman

Ruffy was watching the main attraction of UFC 317, cognizant that he may be a win or two away from entering the contendership picture at 155 pounds. With a ledger that includes knockouts of Jamie Mullarkey and Green, along with a decision over James Llontop, Ruffy is not there at the top of the mountain. Despite that, he was more than willing to share how he thought the match between Topuria and Charles Oliveira played out.

“I think Charles made a lot of mistakes,” Ruffy suggested. “I don't know if it was that strategy. Even for a guy who has fought so many times, bumping into Ilia Topuria and giving in, I felt that Charles tried to get the best of Topuria. So, Topuria's best thing is to do that. Get there, fight at close range. I was there, it was hard to see Charles lose. I really like Charles. I think he made a mistake in his strategy; he could have had better strategies. I noticed that at the beginning of the fight Charles got cut and was kind of desperate to stick Topuria there. He stuck there until there was no time, no, he didn't take him down and tried to grab the guy to survive the moment or to get through that agonizing moment. He didn't have that calm to lead the fight and all that, but it's hard to talk against Charles.”

Based on that performance, Ruffy does not believe that Oliveira has what it takes to fight for a UFC belt again. While he greatly respects what “Do Bronxs” has accomplished in his lengthy tenure with the promotion, Ruffy feels that Oliveira might be reaching the end of his championship-level status.

“I don’t think Charles can aim for the title again,” the Fighting Nerds standout analyzed. “He has had a good story and I believe he doesn't have the desire of those who are coming up…The guy has been through it all, man. The guy was champion of everything there, won, finished, had the best bonuses, made a ton of money. So, I don't think he has the same hunger. He made a beautiful story; he's going to enter the hall of fame. I'm a big fan of Charles, I just have to congratulate him on his career, especially because he came from where he came from and is living the life he's living, right? So, man, it's really cool to see this success.”

While his praise for Oliveira was mixed, Ruffy is on board the Topuria train. He even went so far as to consider Topuria as the new, improved version of Conor McGregor.

“Conor McGregor undeniably influenced many in the fight game, directly or indirectly inspiring their approach. However, I believe Topuria represents an evolved version of this. He excels at promoting fights and positioning himself, but what truly sets him apart is his respectful demeanor,” Ruffy noted. “He appears to be a man of principles, which I deeply value. While he knows how to provoke, he never resorts to disrespect or profanity, unlike some instances with Conor.”

Ruffy continued, “I much prefer Topuria's style of fight promotion–it's something I genuinely respect from a character perspective. When Conor crossed the line with swearing, attacking wives, or nationalistic insults, it went too far for me. Yet, as a fighter, Topuria, like prime Conor, is a finisher, and watching Conor fight in his prime was incredible. I believe Topuria is on the right path. If he continues to secure key victories, his trajectory will be fascinating to watch.”