Mauricio Ruffy is ready to bounce back in style when he faces Rafael Fiziev at UFC 325 this Saturday.
Ruffy (12-2) suffered his first UFC setback in his last fight against Benoit Saint-Denis. Saint-Denis overwhelmed Ruffy with his grappling and submitted him in the second round. With the UFC still being high on Ruffy, he was given another opportunity to climb into the top 10 this weekend. Fiziev presents a difficult test, but will likely keep this fight on the feet, giving Ruffy the chance to show off his striking.
“I know the fans must be very excited to see two strikers in this fight, so yeah, it’ll be a good fight,” Ruffy said during this week’s UFC 325 media day in Sydney, Australia. “I’m ready for this fight. I’ve been training so much with Volk, with all the boys. It’s a new challenge for me, but I’m ready; I know that Fiziev is ready.”
Ruffy has outsourced his training for this fight, spending weeks in Australia at Freestyle MMA. There, he has trained with UFC Champion Alexander Volkanovski and others. This marks a major shift from his usual training with the Fighting Nerds in Brazil.
“My goal is to become a better fighter every time. I had this opportunity to train with Volk, Izzy, and Joe Lopez, Volk’s head coach. They taught me so much, and I’m super happy to be here. I’m a better fighter, a happy fighter, and I’m ready to show everyone.”
While fighting on the same card as the man who just defeated him, Ruffy has no ill will or need to get back at him for his loss. He instead remains focused on the dangerous #9-ranked lightweight in front of him.
“Man, I’m really focused on my next fight right now. 100% focused on Rafael Fiziev. So after the fight, let’s see what the next steps are. But yeah, I’m a UFC athlete. Whoever the UFC sends me, whoever they think is interesting that the fans will like, I’m ready to do it. So the focus is 100% on winning the fight, and after winning, we’ll think about the next step.”
“I always practice different strikes. Depending on how the fight goes, I always have cool things to give the fans. My focus is on delivering a good performance, being in good shape to fight, being physically and mentally well, and giving my 100%. I’m sure if I’m doing well, physically and mentally, I’m certain that all the fans will enjoy my performance,” Ruffy replied when asked about showing off new tools.
With his camp coming at Freestyle MMA, rumors and questions arose based on whether he would remain with the Fighting Nerds or switch gyms following this fight. Mauricio Ruffy quickly dispelled those rumors, praising both gyms for helping him evolve and prepare.
“It’s definitely my house too, but I’m a Fighting Nerd as well. I’ll always be a Fighting Nerd. I learned a lot, and I continue to learn a lot every day, from Pablo and the whole team. So while they’re not here with me for unforeseen reasons, I’m very well supported by the Freestyle MMA team. These guys are helping me 100% here, and I’m very, very happy to be able to know that I have a home here in Australia, and whenever I want, I can come here and train, spend time with them. I’ve made great friends here.”
When asked about his loss to Saint-Denis and what he gained from it, Ruffy had an inspiring answer,
“I learned a lot, not only from the defeat but also from how my positioning put me in an uncomfortable situation. I left home, I spent two months away from my family, my wife, and my two children, to put myself in a position to evolve. I’m sure that the last fight sparked this desire in me to seek more knowledge, to have the privilege today of training with Volk. I’m really happy with everything that’s happened to me. Sometimes we don’t understand what happened today, but it makes sense later. I’m sure that’s the plan God has for me. To go through everything to live. I am very happy to be living my dream. I only have good stories to tell, and I’m very happy to be here today.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Mauricio Ruffy above. He faces Rafael Fiziev at UFC 325 on Saturday night.
