Mauricio Ruffy Camp Backs Underdog for Stoppage Win Over Arman Tsarukyan

Mauricio Ruffy enters the co-main event of the UFC's upcoming UFC 331 card in Los Angeles as a sizable betting underdog against top contender Arman Tsarukyan. However, those close to the Brazilian lightweight are confident that he possesses the exact skillset necessary to secure a major upset.

Pablo Sucupira, Ruffy's former coach at the Fighting Nerds team, told Sherdog that public perception and betting lines may be placing too much emphasis on Ruffy's previous defeat to Benoit St. Denis, during which Ruffy was taken down and finished. Sucupira dismissed that loss as an outlier, pointing out that accomplished fighters like Michael Chandler and Rafael Fiziev were unable to secure takedowns against Ruffy. "I don’t just think Ruffy is going to win; I think he’s going to send a message by knocking Arman out," Sucupira told the outlet.

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who took Ruffy under his wing and trained extensively with him during preparation for UFC 331, also praised the Brazilian's grappling defense. In the UFC 331 "Countdown" preview, Volkanovski noted that Ruffy is "on another level concerning takedown defense," adding that Tsarukyan will face serious danger on the feet if his wrestling shots fail to bring the fight to the mat.