Khamzat Chimaev Sees Major Grappling Edge for Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy

Former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev sees a distinct stylistic path to victory for Arman Tsarukyan in his upcoming lightweight clash against Mauricio Ruffy. The pivotal bout is scheduled for Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles as part of UFC 331.

While acknowledging Ruffy as one of the premier strikers in the promotion today, Chimaev emphasized that Tsarukyan operates on a vastly superior level once the fight hits the canvas. Speaking to Adam Zubayraev, Chimaev praised Ruffy's standup abilities but expressed confidence that Tsarukyan's well-rounded skill set and elite wrestling will prevent any major difficulties.

"Ruffy’s a top fighter, I think he is one of the best strikers in the UFC right now," Chimaev told Zubayraev, as reported by Sherdog. "I think if Arman works on both levels, there won’t be any problems at all. Arman’s wrestling and grappling level and Ruffy’s are two completely different levels.

Completely different. [Ruffy] is very good on the feet. Arman feels very confident on the feet."

Chimaev and Tsarukyan share a close relationship, training together under Sam Calavitta at The Treigning Lab for strength and conditioning. Having cornered each other in previous bouts, Chimaev is rumored to be in Tsarukyan's corner for the Sept. 19 contest.

Tsarukyan (23-3) enters the matchup on a five-fight winning streak, most recently finishing Dan Hooker after missing out on a planned title shot. Meanwhile, Ruffy (14-2) arrives with momentum of his own, scoring consecutive stoppage wins over Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler following his lone UFC defeat to Benoit St. Denis.