Washington — Coming off the biggest win of his career to date, a finish of Rafael Fiziev back in February, lightweight Mauricio Ruffy has another massive assignment directly ahead of him: Michael Chandler, at the White House.
A fight that might otherwise be a co-main event, or headline a Fight Night show, comes relatively early at UFC Freedom 250, three fights in on the seven-fight show. Yet it’s no less significant for Ruffy’s career.
On Wednesday, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press, Ruffy (13-2) explained that “fighting Michael Chandler, somebody who’s got a beautiful history in this sport and a fight that I’ve wanted for a while, is going to be amazing. I’m ready to go.”
Touching on the former Bellator champ’s uneven UFC run, Ruffy added that “this is a guy that always delivers exciting fights, and it doesn’t matter, the win/loss record. I think. That’s why he got a title shot, because of the fact that he delivers exciting fights. And that’s why I’m not going to ease up on him.”
“I’m going to go in there like it’s a championship fight, the most important fight of my life, ready 200%. And I’m going there to beat him.”
Finishing fights is what Brazil’s Mauricio Ruffy does best. A quick glace at his record on Tapology will tell you as much. “I go into fights to finish fights. It’s been 13 wins and 12 knockouts. It doesn’t matter what happens, that’s what I train for and that’s what I want to do. I train to knock people out.”
He’s predicting that again at UFC Freedom 250. “That’s what you can expect. I look for the knockout all the time, I want to be clean as I said. I’m going to the octagon to finish the fight. That’s what you can expect on Sunday, the Mauricio Ruffy that you know.”
Ruffy also touched on how he’s changed as a fighter since his lone loss to Benoit Saint-Denis last year, speaking with Cageside Press.
“I’m an athlete, and all of us are looking for, we want to develop. I’m somebody that has been looking to improve, get better, evolve as a fighter and always bring in new things. I’ve trained very hard for this, and that’s what I’ve been able to do. I always look for that, and I’ve been able to do that.” It’s what he did last time out, against Fiziev, and no doubt what he hopes to do this Sunday. “The plan that Fiziev had was the same, and I think I was able to stifle him and perform.”
Watch the full UFC Freedom 250 media day appearance by Rafael Fiziev above.
