As he prepares to take on Benoit Saint-Denis in the co-main event at UFC Paris this Saturday, Brazilian standout Mauricio Ruffy spoke to Fighters Only’s Paul Browne about his path toward the UFC title and how he handles the pressure of performing under the brightest lights on the sport’s biggest stage.
A Fighter Made for the Big Stage
Some fighters are born for the big stage. Mauricio Ruffy (12-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has already shown in his brief UFC career that he is one of those fighters capable of delivering jaw-dropping moments under the brightest of lights.
After earning his contract with a stoppage win on Dana White’s Contender Series in late 2023, the 29-year-old announced his arrival in style at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro with a first-round knockout of Jamie Mullarkey.
Two more wins on UFC pay-per-view cards quickly followed, highlighted by his wheel-kick knockout of King Green at UFC 315 in March—a finish that propelled the São Paulo native into the UFC lightweight rankings.
On the eve of his co-main event appearance against Benoit Saint-Denis (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) at UFC Paris this weekend, “One Shot” has been reflecting upon the impact that landmark moment has made on his life.
“It has been amazing, that knockout was a great achievement,” Ruffy told Fighters Only this week. “I was delighted with the finish, it made me so very happy and it brings a lot of expectation to deliver more spectacular knockouts that the UFC has never seen before. It was an incredible moment, it has put me in this position now where I can look up in the rankings and I am very happy with everything that is happening. I am ready to show the UFC what I’m capable of and things that they have never seen before.”
A Rising Contender at Lightweight
Despite being only three fights into his UFC career, Ruffy is already being discussed as a potential future champion at 155 pounds. Currently ranked fifteenth, he believes that with his exciting style, he could be just one or two wins away from a possible title shot.
“I believe that my performances speak louder than the number beside my name,” he says. “I believe that a good showing this weekend (and another knockout win) against Saint-Denis can give me an opportunity to fight somebody inside the top 5. So, it depends a lot on my performance this Saturday.
“I think the importance of the UFC rankings can be overestimated at times. You see several fighters entering the UFC now like Patricio Pitbull, he’s in the top 10 already, and he will fight against the newcomer (Losene Keita). So that shows that it’s possible to move up quickly. I’ll face a top 5 opponent after beating Saint-Denis this weekend.”
Styles Make Fights
Ruffy enters this weekend’s matchup on a very different trajectory from his opponent. Saint-Denis stormed into the lightweight rankings in 2023 on the back of five straight stoppage victories, only to be halted by Dustin Poirier at UFC 299. Another setback against Renato Moicano late in 2024 left the Frenchman in rebuilding mode, though he did bounce back with a submission win over Kyle Prepolec earlier this year.
Known for his aggressive, forward-pressing style, “God of War” has overwhelmed many of his opponents during his UFC run so far. But Ruffy believes that this same approach will play directly into his hands on Saturday night.
“There are two guys with different styles: one who moves forward a lot, the other one prefers to calculate his steps,” Ruffy says of the matchup. “I see a fight that the crowd will love and I believe it can be a very quick knockout. Maybe it will take a while, but I see my arm being raised at the end and I'm going there to give my best.
“Victory we never have 100% control over, but I believe a lot in my power and my performance, even though I have only shown a small glimpse of it in the UFC.”
