Ruffy Says Tsarukyan Win Earns Title Shot

Mauricio Ruffy believes beating Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 331 earns him a lightweight title shot.

Ruffy faces his toughest opponent yet when he meets Tsarukyan in the co-main event Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, per Sherdog. The Brazilian lightweight said a victory puts him next in line for championship gold and vowed to stop Tsarukyan inside the distance.

Ruffy Targeting Knockout Finish at UFC 331

"Winning this fight takes us straight to the title," Ruffy said on Instagram Stories in Portuguese, as reported by Championship Rounds. "I don't feel pressure at all. I feel privileged, very grateful to God for all this. I'm going there for the knockout. I don't want to leave the octagon without that result."

Ruffy will train in Australia under Alexander Volkanovski for the camp, the same setup he used for his last bout. The 30-year-old has finished five of six UFC wins and is coming off stoppages of Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler. His lone Octagon loss came against Benoit St. Denis.

Tsarukyan rides a five-fight win streak into the matchup and stopped Dan Hooker in his most recent outing. He holds a 10-2 UFC record at lightweight.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Mauricio Ruffy says Arman Tsarukyan win leads straight to title shot