Mauricio Ruffy derrotou James Llontop in the unanimous decision in the UFC 309. Photo: UFC News
Despite having only three fights in the UFC, Mauricio Ruffy has already proven that he is one of the most talented fighters of the new generation of MMA. The Brazilian prospect, who already has two knockouts in the Ultimate, stands out for his fighting IQ and unique moves inside the octagon, one of which, the 'face-turning punch', almost knocked out the Peruvian James Llontop No. UFC 309 and even scared Jean Silva in a workout.
In a video published on his own channel Jean Silva On YouTube, Ruffy and 'Lord' were doing some low-intensity sparring in the octagon at the Fighting Nerds gym in São Paulo. When the featherweight (up to 65,7kg) advanced with a straight punch, the lightweight (up to 70,2kg) dodged and countered with his signature move. The blow went close and drew praise from the audience (watch below).
Watch Mauricio Ruffy and Jean Silva sparring
Mauricio Ruffy: the Ronaldinho of UFC
At first, the comparison between Maurício Ruffy and soccer star Ronaldinho Gaúcho came about only because of the face-off strike, which was reminiscent of the number 10's characteristic passes on the field. However, the analogy reached a new level when commentator Román Laurito, from UFC Fight Pass Brazil, participated in the podcast 'ConnectCast' and compared the moment experienced by the young Brazilian to the height of Anderson Silva and the former Barcelona star.
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“Regarding the apex of each, the apex of the Anderson Silva, for me, is better than the pinnacle of Jon Jones and Fedor Emelianenko. Because what he did as a martial artist, he was like the Ronaldinho Gaúcho of MMA. And that's more or less what the Mauricio Ruffy is starting to do so”, said Laurito, in reference to the creativity and unpredictability that marked the career of the former middleweight champion (up to 83,9 kg).
Signed by UFC through Contender Series in 2023, Mauricio Ruffy debuted with the organization in UFC 301. Since then, he has accumulated three wins in three fights, two of them by knockout. Recently, the Brazilian prospect turned down the chance to face Mateusz gamrot and establish itself in the organization's top 10.
Jean Silva, in turn, finished all five of his fights in the Ultimate and is currently surrounded by hearsay that you may face Diego lopes, in a possible fight that will define the next challenger for the title of Alexander Volkanovsky.
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