Athletes
Mauricio Ruffy Knows How to Deliver Fireworks
Brazil’s Mauricio Ruffy Expects To Put On Another Spectacular Performance As He Approaches His Biggest Test To Date At UFC Fight Night: Imavov vs Borralho
Life is bound to change when you score one of the best finishes of the year, like Mauricio Ruffy did in March when he melted King Green with one of the cleaner spinning wheel kicks in recent memory at UFC 313. The Brazilian’s stock promptly skyrocketed as fans and fellow fighters were left in awe of the finish, and his Instagram followers ballooned beyond 500,000.
Funny enough, some of Ruffy’s toughest competition for the best finish of the year have come from his friends and fellow Fighting Nerds, who are continuing their great momentum from a breakout 2024 campaign. Jean Silva stunned many with his dominant performance and submission win over Bryce Mitchell, and only a few weeks ago, Carlos Prates put Geoff Neal out with a buzzer-beating spinning elbow in Chicago.
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It's with all this momentum that Ruffy arrives in Paris, where he fights Benoît Saint Denis in the co-main event before teammate Caio Borralho looks to lay claim to a title shot in the main event against Nassourdine Imavov. The skyrocketing profile is a lot to manage for any athlete, but Ruffy and the Nerds are taking it all in stylish stride.
“I think it really depends on how you deal with it,” Ruffy told UFC.com. “Usually, pressure and anxiety all precede the greatest moments of your life, so when you’re going through a moment with a lot of pressure and a lot of anxiety, that’s usually because something is happening, and this is all a dream come true, so I’m enjoying every moment.”
That moment also represents his toughest test yet in just his fourth trip to the Octagon since earning his contract via Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023.
Saint Denis was on the fast track up the lightweight ladder after racking up five consecutive finishes in 2022 and 2023. Those results brought him face-to-face with Dustin Poirier in Miami, and despite putting it on “The Diamond” early, he suffered a knockout loss, the first stoppage loss of his career. After failing to bounce back in a main event against Renato Moicano in UFC’s trip to Paris in 2024, he started to get back on track with a submission win over Kyle Prepolec at UFC 315.
That finish was Saint Denis’ 10th via tapout, and the marauding Frenchman is keen to drag Ruffy into a dark and miserable place on fight night. Stylistically, Saint Denis could pose some problems for Ruffy if he can mix in grappling and prevent Ruffy from getting loose on the feet.
Of course, Ruffy is, respectfully, not worried about what the “God of War” is going to bring in the Octagon.
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“I think a lot of fighters waste a lot of time thinking about the opponent and don’t think about themselves and don’t necessarily improve and evolve,” he said. “I worked a lot on myself. I have great takedown defense, and I think this is going to be a great fight.”
Ruffy doesn’t feel like he will get too caught up in the atmosphere, either, saying he usually just tunes everything out, regardless of whether the fans are behind him or against him.
Lightweight Mauricio Ruffy KOs King Green | UFC 313 on May 13, 2025.
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Lightweight Mauricio Ruffy KOs King Green | UFC 313 on May 13, 2025.
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That won’t stop the Parisian fans from making their voice heard in Accor Arena on September 6, but what matters most is who gets their hand raised after it’s all said and done. Ruffy floats the idea that another spectacular win could get him in the conversation with a fight against a top 5 opponent, and the lightweight division is chock full of talented and dangerous fighters.
First things first, though. There is business to take care of, and he hopes to set the table for another good night for himself and his team. Ruffy plans to do that the only way he knows how, the way to which his 11 knockouts in 12 professional wins speaks.
“The secret is: to knock him out,” he said. “I think Saint Denis is a guy that has a lot of openings. He wants to put on a war, he likes to turn the fight into a brawl, and I think a lot of his opponents get into that, so I think being calm and being calculated is going to win this fight.”
UFC Fight Night: Imavov vs Borralho took place live from Accor Arena in Paris, France on September 6, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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