Mauricio Ruffy breaks silence and addresses backlash after UFC Paris defeat

Din Thomas had questioned Ruffy’s commitment following the bout, but the Brazilian has now responded to some of those comments.

Since signing with the UFC, Ruffy had put together a three-fight win streak. His striking style quickly caught the eye of fans and analysts alike, and his heel kick knockout over King Green earlier in 2024 raised expectations even further.

But after losing to Saint-Denis, there was a sense that the step up might have come too soon for him.

In a video posted to his Instagram story, Ruffy addressed some of the criticism and hinted at issues outside the cage that affected his performance.

“Thank you for the concern of so many people here. There really happened situations there that I won’t bring here so as not to sound like an excuse. But, for the first time in my life, I step into an Octagon and I don’t have control of my body.

“Literally my body did not respond to me. I won’t explain here what happened, but I can say that I will come back much stronger. I am happy with this learning. On the internet it’s always the same. You win, you are a phenomenon. You lose, and then comes a lot of criticism. But all of this is part of it.

“Absolutely nothing has changed, I’m going to become the UFC champion. That’s my process, I’m going to adjust everything to get up there and never feel that feeling of not being able to fight again. A kiss to all, God bless.”

Fighting Nerds look to move on after UFC Paris setbacks

The turn of 2025 saw all four of the Fighting Nerds’ main prospects still unbeaten in the promotion.

That status has since changed, with the rising profile of the team placing their fighters in bigger matchups, and three of them now having suffered their first UFC losses.

The only member yet to lose returns to action this weekend, as Jean Silva takes on Diego Lopes in the Noche UFC main event.

Following a rough night in Paris, they will be hoping this fight can get things back on track and deliver a much-needed win for Brazil.