Volkanovski Struggles To Keep Ruffy Down In Training

Mauricio Ruffy has improved his defensive wrestling so much that even Alexander Volkanovski cannot keep him on the mat, according to the former featherweight champion's head coach.

Joe Lopez told Submission Radio that Ruffy has made significant strides since joining Volkanovski's Australian camp last year, particularly in scrambles and escaping bad positions. The Brazilian moved to the team after his September 2025 loss to Benoit St. Denis and has since stopped Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler.

Ruffy Preparing For Tsarukyan Wrestling Test At UFC 331

Lopez said Ruffy has shifted his approach from looking for submissions off his back to prioritizing clean escapes. "For this fight here, that's one of our specialties is our defensive wrestling and our scrambles and not accepting the position," he said, per Sherdog. "Honestly, he's picking it up."

The coach added that Ruffy has corrected fundamental positioning issues since leaving the Fighting Nerds gym in Brazil. "When he first came, he was still really stuck in his jiu-jitsu type thing where he attached himself to the person," Lopez said. "Now, he's not. He's training his escapes, getting out, putting his body in the right position, putting his hands in the right position."

Ruffy faces Arman Tsarukyan in the co-main event of UFC 331 on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles. Tsarukyan's wrestling has long been considered his primary weapon, making the matchup a test of whether Ruffy's camp improvements translate against elite-level pressure.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Alexander Volkanovski struggles to keep Mauricio Ruffy down, coach says