dpSept. 17, 2026, 9:40 a.m. ET
Mauricio Ruffy embraced all elements of bringing his game to the next level for the biggest fight of his life at UFC 331.
Ruffy (14-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) will attempt to put himself at the forefront of the conversation for who should next challenge lightweight champion Justin Gaethje when he takes on Arman Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the five-round co-main event of Saturday’s card at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles (Paramount+).
After switching training camps to join Alexander Volkanovski and crew at Freestyle MMA in Australia, Ruffy has picked up back-to-back knockout wins over Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler. Now he takes on the next level of competition in Tsarukyan, and he left no stone unturned.
“I’ve become a better fighter and I think the champion has to have that mentality,” Ruffy told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “I have to bring in that mindset because there’s so many lions in front of you to come into the den and take it away from you. I strive to evolve. It took me out of my comfort zone. Being with Volkanovski is completely out of my comfort zone, but it helped me get together people with people and a different team that have different concepts that basically made me a different person. I’m always evolving.”
UFC 331 is a big opportunity for Ruffy, but ultimately he hopes it’s just another step in his true championship story.
“If you think about the past, he’s had one of two fights. I’ve had six fights – I remain active and I’m going into my third fight this year, looking for my third and win and you have to be active and earn it, and you have to face people and look to be the champion by getting the belt,” Ruffy said. “That’s what I’m looking to do and that’s how I feel. Beating Arman to me will not make me the champion, because he is not the champion. I want to fight the champion and get the belt from the champion.”
