Ruffy Says Tsarukyan Win Takes Him Straight To Title

Mauricio Ruffy believes beating Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 331 puts him straight into a lightweight title shot.

The Brazilian striker faces Tsarukyan on September 19 after the Armenian was originally linked to a Charles Oliveira rematch from their contested UFC 300 bout. Ruffy, ranked seventh by the Media Panel and tenth in the Meta Rankings, stopped Michael Chandler at the White House in June and now gets the toughest test of his career against one of the division's best wrestlers.

Ruffy Targeting Knockout Finish In Australia Camp

"Winning this fight takes us straight to the title," Ruffy wrote on social media, per MMA Mania. "I don't feel pressure at all. I feel privileged, very grateful to God for this. I'm going there for the knockout, I don't want to leave the octagon without that result."

Ruffy left the Fighting Nerds in May and now trains with Alexander Volkanovski and Joe Lopez at Freestyle MMA. He confirmed he will spend the full camp in Australia leading up to the fight. The matchup presents serious grappling questions for Ruffy, who was submitted by Benoit Saint Denis in Paris a year ago. Tsarukyan brings elite wrestling and dangerous submission skills that could exploit that weakness.

Ruffy said he will be offline during camp, focused entirely on preparation. UFC 331 takes place September 19 with the full main card now confirmed.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Mauricio Ruffy believes UFC 331 win over Arman Tsarukyan takes him ‘straight to the title’