Mauricio Ruffy is a ‘Fighting Nerd’ and one of Dana White’s most exciting prospects.
Ruffy is only two fights into his UFC career, yet his name is already on the lips of countless MMA fans.
The 28-year-old put on a show for the New York crowd on Saturday at Madison Square Garden with a victory during UFC 309.
UFC 309 was headlined by Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, as the former defended his heavyweight belt, which subsequently caused the latter to retire.
Ruffy was featuring in just his second UFC event, but has already achieved main card status.
He contested James Llontop in a catchweight bout on Saturday, as the Peruvian was unable to make the 156lbs lightweight limit.
Ruffy looked crisp in the opening exchanges of the pair’s bout and dropped Llontop in the first round with a right hand, but the 25-year-old was able to make it back to his feet.
As the Brazilian continued to push forward and repeatedly catch Llontop with counter right hands, UFC commentator Joe Rogan said he looked like a giant version Conor McGregor.
In similar fashion to the former UFC two-division champion, Ruffy dropped Llontop again in the second round, but this time with a devastating no-look uppercut.
Llontop survived again, however, and even though Ruffy slowed down in the final round, he still caught the Peruvian with multiple right hands that ultimately cemented the victory.
Ruffy then had his hand raised deservedly, with Llontop displaying fresh battle wounds, as all three judges scored the contest 29-28 in the Brazilian’s favour to award a unanimous decision win.
This was the 11th victory of Ruffy’s professional MMA career that consists of only one loss, with ten of his victories coming by way of knockout.
Fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil, ‘One Shot’ made an emphatic debut at UFC 301 in May by knocking out Jamie Mullarkey in the first round.
His debut was so impressive that CEO White described the performance as ‘one of the best UFC debuts of all time’.
During his performance against Mullarkey, veteran analyst Din Thomas made similar comparisons to those of Rogan at UFC 309.
“I said it yesterday when I heard there was something special about this Ruffy kid and when I look at him now, I’m making a comparison to a young Conor McGregor,” he said.
“The way he is piecing this guy up, the way he’s so accurate in his instincts, it reminds me of a young Conor.”
Ruffy boasts a unique karate fight style reminiscent of McGregor, who hasn’t been spotted in the octagon since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021.
Ruffy emerged through White’s Contender Series and has previously fought for Mega Fighting Championship and Standout Fighting Tournament.
He is part of a Brazilian MMA gym named Fighting Nerds, who also have fellows UFC stars Carlos Prates, Jean Silva, Bruna Brasil and Caio Borralho on their roster.
As a member of the flourishing gym that has taken the MMA world by storm, Ruffy, alongside his fellow UFC athletes, can typically be seen rocking nerd glasses.
Heavyweight champion Jones wore Fighting Nerds glasses at the UFC Apex when Prates blasted out Neil Magny with a stunning KO during the UFC Vegas 100 main event.
Seven days later, X owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk was spotted wearing the apparel at UFC 309 following Ruffy’s win over Llontop.
Borralho is the No.6 tanked middleweight in the UFC, while Prates is the No.13 ranked welterweight, yet Ruffy remains unranked.
After the bout he called out No,12 ranked Benoit Saint Denis, who was badly beaten by Renato Moicano at UFC Paris in September.
His cuts were so bad the doctor stopped the fight, as Saint Denis could no longer prove he could see out of one eye, which subsequently awarded Moicano a TKO victory after two rounds.
“No frustration from me [with no one wanting to fight me], it’s part of the process.” Ruffy said in his post-fight octagon interview.
“I want to thank the UFC, Dana White and Sean Shelby [senior UFC figure] for the chance that they’ve given me.
“They’ve given me the opportunity to be on a card at Madison Square Garden, look at the opportunities I’m getting.
“Saint Denis, what do you think about [my performance]? Let’s go fight, are you ready? Let’s go”
Islam Makhachev is the current champion of the lighweight division and it is likely he will defend his belt against No.1 contender Arman Tsarukyan next.
The pair will likely face off at UFC 311, which takes place on January 19 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, United States.
