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.
Mauricio Ruffy will face the top contender in the UFC lightweight division when he steps into the co-main event of UFC 331 against Arman Tsarukyan on September 19, 2026, in Los Angeles.
Ruffy, 30, enters the bout riding the momentum of one of the most eye-catching resumes in the 155-pound division. The Brazilian, ranked seventh at lightweight and representing The Fighting Nerds, carries a 14-2 professional record with 13 of those wins coming by knockout. Standing five-foot-eleven with a 75-inch reach, he lands 4.19 significant strikes per minute at a striking accuracy of 58 percent — numbers that reflect the relentless, high-volume attack that earned him comparisons to his nickname's inspiration, One Piece's Monkey D. Luffy. The UFC 331 co-main represents comfortably his most significant assignment to date, and he has acknowledged he is still developing as a complete mixed martial artist.
Tsarukyan, ranked second in the lightweight division, brings an altogether different threat. The 29-year-old Russian out of American Top Team holds a 23-3 record and is one of the most accomplished wrestlers in the weight class, averaging 3.26 takedown attempts per 15 minutes. At five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach, he also contributes on the feet, landing 3.85 significant strikes per minute at 50 percent accuracy, making him dangerous across all phases of a fight.
Ruffy has spoken openly about his preparation, describing a dedicated wrestling-defense camp alongside coach Joe Lopez and training partners including Alexander Volkanovski. He acknowledged the grappling challenge Tsarukyan presents but expressed confidence that his scrambling ability has improved and that he will still be pursuing a finish on fight night.
Why it matters
- A win for Ruffy would vault the seventh-ranked finisher into legitimate title contention at lightweight.
- Tsarukyan's elite takedown volume is a direct test of the camp-specific defensive wrestling Ruffy has spent months refining.
- The style matchup pits one of the division's sharpest strikers against a wrestler who can also hurt opponents on the feet.
- UFC 331's co-main event carries significant stakes for the shape of the lightweight title picture heading into 2027.
Arman Tsarukyan vs Mauricio Ruffy
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