Mauricio Ruffy reveals inspiration from Neymar Jr before UFC 325Photo: Reproduction/X/UFC/Globe Soccer Awards/Montage SUPER LUTAS
Mauricio Ruffy He doesn't hide the fact that he seeks references outside of MMA to evolve inside the octagon. Currently ranked 14th in the lightweight division (up to 70,3 kg), the Brazilian revealed that Neymar Jr.'s creativity and dribbling skills played a direct role in one of his most memorable moments in the UFC and could reappear in the duel against... Raphael Fiziev, at UFC 325, this Saturday (31), in Sydney, Australia.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Ruffy made a point of crediting a move to a feint inspired by the football star. The fighter explained that he sees himself as a kind of "Neymar of MMA," someone who relies on style, game reading, and a high level of technique to unbalance his opponents. The athlete from the Fighting Nerds academy arrived at this comparison by revealing his inspiration from the Santos number 10 to execute the move. A remarkable knockout of King Green at UFC 313..
"In my knockout (against King GreenHe had the feint, and that was the extra detail. I can say that Neymar helped me with that one, because it was 'Neymar's feint'. Let's say he helped me catch that guy, because that was his feint. Neymar's feint. But both were too beautiful, man…
I don't watch much soccer, full matches, but I like to see highlights and I really enjoy watching Neymar because I think he's an extremely skillful player. And there are moments in the fight where I see myself as a technical guy, someone who needs to use skill. Especially at the beginning of the fight, I use a lot of technique.
Basically, you can see that I threaten with a straight shot, then go in with an overhand shot, and then unleash the shot. That's it: one feint on top of another. So I have to thank Neymar, and that's why I called it the 'Neymar feint'," he explained. Mauricio Ruffy in an interview with Ariel Helwani.
Maurício Ruffy dedicates his knockout over Bobby 'King' Green to football icon Neymar, crediting the feints and creativity he's borrowed from the pitch and brought into MMA.
Ruffy says he sees himself as MMA's version of Neymar, a fighter who brings flair, deception and a high… pic.twitter.com/NlZzwsEfRP
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) January 29, 2026
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Now, Luffy will have the chance to put his creativity to the test again. If he wins Raphael Fiziev No. UFC 325The Brazilian could climb the lightweight rankings and enhance his status as one of the most technical and unpredictable fighters in the division. Check out the fight schedule below. UFC 325 (subject to change).
UFC 325 fight schedule
MAIN CARD – starting at 23 PM (Brasilia time)
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Alexander Volkanovsky x Diego lopes – Fight for the belt
Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Dan Hooker x Benoit Saint-Denis
Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Raphael Fiziev x Mauricio Ruffy
Heavy weight (up to 120,2 kg.): Tai tuivasa x Tallison Teixeira
Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Quillan Salkilld x Jamie Mullarkey
PRELIMINARY CARD – starting at 19 PM (Brasilia time)
Light heavyweight (up to 93 kg): Junior Tafa x Billy Elekana
Middleweight (up to 83,9 kg): Cam Rowston x Cody Brundage
Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): Jacob Malkoun x Torrez Finney
Welterweight (up to 77 kg.): Jonathan Micallef x Oban Elliott
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Kaan Ofli x Yi Zha
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): SangWook Kim x Dom Mar Fan
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Keiichiro Nakamura vs. Sebastian Szalay
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Sulangrangbo x Lawrence Lui
Flyweight (up to 56,7kg): Aaron Tau vs. Namsrai Batbayar
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