Arman Tsarukyan

Mauricio Ruffy is one of the UFC's most explosive strikers, and he's building his grappling to survive Arman Tsarukyan. Nicknamed after One Piece's Monkey D. Luffy, the Brazilian holds a dominant 14-2 professional record in mixed martial arts with 13 knockouts, and he faces the number-one lightweight contender in the UFC 331 co-main event on September 19, 2026, in Los Angeles. Ruffy has spent camp specifically drilling wrestling defense with coach Joe Lopez and training partners like Alexander Volkanovski, calling himself still learning the sport but confident his scrambling has improved enough to survive Tsarukyan's takedowns. Known for relentless volume and a ferocious finishing rate, Ruffy insists he'll still be hunting a knockout in his toughest test yet.

Ruffy

Imagine trying to become a champion at Lightweight Division💀 Ridiculously STACKED. Lightweight is always like this, but it’s especially wild now. Gaethje sits at the top, with Ilia Topuria, Arman Tsarukyan, Charles Oliveira, Max Holloway and Paddy Pimblett all having legitimate claims around the title picture. And now Quillan Salkilld has forced his way into the conversation after submitting Mateusz Gamrot in the first round. That’s before you even get into names like Benoît Saint Denis, Rafael Fiziev, Mauricio Ruffy and newcomer Parnasse with undefeated PFL lighweight champion joining the UFC soon. The depth is so ridiculous that beating a ranked lightweight doesn’t necessarily put you next in line — it can just earn you another ranked lightweight. At 155lbs, there are elite contenders, former champions, veterans and dangerous prospects all fighting for the same few spots, it’s crazy 🤯

Oliveira, Topuria, Gaethje

Colby Covington clarified that his May retirement announcement was primarily a procedural step to allow him to compete in Real American Freestyle wrestling, where he holds the inaugural RAF Cruiserweight Crossover Championship. Covington told MMA Junkie he remains open to returning to the UFC if the right matchup is offered, citing a lack of appealing fights — including missing out on a spot at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House in June — as the reason he stepped away. He stressed that wrestling has always been his first passion, but has not closed the door on the octagon.

Covington

UFC commentator Jon Anik says the promotion is having internal conversations about booking a rematch between lightweight champion Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria. Gaethje claimed the undisputed UFC lightweight title this summer when Topuria's corner threw in the towel at UFC White House, marking the first loss of Topuria's MMA career. Gaethje has already stated he will not compete again until 2027, leaving the lightweight title picture unsettled, with Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, and the winner of Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy all in contention.

Oliveira, Holloway, Topuria+3

UFC CEO Dana White declined to designate the Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy co-main event at UFC 331 as an official number-one contender bout, saying he prefers to wait until the fight is finished before making any such declaration. Both Tsarukyan and Ruffy have publicly claimed the winner will be next in line for Justin Gaethje's lightweight title. UFC 331, headlined by a flyweight title rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja, takes place September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Van, Ruffy, Gaethje+1

Arman Tsarukyan is working with kickboxing legend Giorgio Petrosyan in the final stage of his training camp ahead of his fight against Mauricio Ruffy. Petrosyan, who holds a professional record of 109 wins and 3 losses across a 23-year career that included a 42-fight winning streak, is focusing specifically on helping Tsarukyan sharpen his timing against Ruffy's striking. Tsarukyan is also sparring with PFL Latvia-based fighter Alexander Chizov as part of his camp preparation.

Ruffy