# Maurício Ruffy
**Maurício Ruffy** (born Maurício de Lima Santos, 1996) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist competing in the lightweight division of the [Ultimate Fighting Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/ultimate-fighting-championship) (UFC), where he has been ranked in the top ten of the official lightweight rankings. He trains with The Fighting Nerds in São Paulo and is known as a striker with an unusually high finishing rate: 13 of his 14 professional wins have come by knockout, nine of them in the first round.[1](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Mauricio%20Ruffy/144689/) • [2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / born | Maurício de Lima Santos, 1996, State of São Paulo, Brazil[1](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Mauricio%20Ruffy/144689/) • [2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1) |
| Division / team | UFC Lightweight; The Fighting Nerds[1](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Mauricio%20Ruffy/144689/) |
| Professional record | 14-3-0, with 13 wins by knockout and 9 first-round finishes[2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1) |
| UFC record | 5-2-0; octagon debut May 4, 2024[1](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Mauricio%20Ruffy/144689/) • [2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1) |
| Path to the UFC | Dana White's Contender Series, season 7, episode 9 (October 3, 2023): TKO of Raimond Magomedaliev at 4:45 of round 3[2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1) |
| Signature win | Spinning wheel kick knockout of King Green at 2:07 of round 1, UFC 313 (March 8, 2025)[3](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Mauricio-Ruffy-192545) |
| Physical measures | Height 5 ft 11 in (71 in), reach 75 in, leg reach 41 in[2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1) |
| Nickname origin | Named after the main character of the anime "One Piece"[2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1) |
## Early life and regional career
Ruffy began training at age 14 in his hometown of Coruripe, then moved to São Paulo and started his professional career shortly afterward.[2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1) He turned professional on September 18, 2016.[1](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Mauricio%20Ruffy/144689/) Before joining the UFC he held regional titles as champion of the European event Centurion FC and the Brazilian event MFC.[2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1)
His last fight before the Contender Series was a second-round knockout of UFC veteran Ronys Torres in May 2023, on a night on which he won two fights.[2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1)
## Contender Series and UFC debut
Ruffy earned his UFC contract on [Dana White](https://www.edgepedia.org/dana-white)'s Contender Series in October 2023, stopping Raimond Magomedaliev by strikes at 4:45 of the third round.[2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1) His teammate, middleweight contender Caio Borralho, promoted him heavily on arrival; UFC.com reported that Borralho told anyone who would listen that Ruffy was "That Guy."[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/matchup-spotlight-rafael-fiziev-vs-mauricio-ruffy)
He debuted at [UFC 301](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-301) on May 4, 2024, against the experienced Jamie Mullarkey and stopped him with right hands and a flying knee at 4:42 of the first round, earning a Performance Bonus. [Daniel Cormier](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-cormier), commentating cageside, called the performance a "flawless" victory.[5](https://www.ufc.com/news/fighter-spotlight-mauricio-ruffy-ufc-paris) He returned six months later at [UFC 309](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-309), taking a 165-pound catchweight bout against James Llontop after original opponent Charlie Campbell was replaced, and won a three-round unanimous decision on November 16, 2024.[5](https://www.ufc.com/news/fighter-spotlight-mauricio-ruffy-ufc-paris) • [2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1)
## Breakout and setbacks, 2025–2026
**The King Green knockout.** At UFC 313 on March 8, 2025, Ruffy knocked out King Green with a spinning wheel kick at 2:07 of the first round; UFC.com later ranked it among the best knockouts of 2025.[3](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Mauricio-Ruffy-192545) • [4](https://www.ufc.com/news/matchup-spotlight-rafael-fiziev-vs-mauricio-ruffy) Ruffy himself identified the Green fight as the key fight of his career because of how the knockout was set up.[2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1)
His first UFC loss came at UFC Fight Night Paris on September 6, 2025, when Benoît Saint Denis submitted him with a rear-naked choke at 2:56 of the second round.[2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1)
He rebounded at UFC 325 on January 31, 2026, stopping [Rafael Fiziev](https://www.edgepedia.org/rafael-fiziev) by strikes at 4:30 of the second round.[2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1) At UFC Freedom 250, staged on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14, 2026, Ruffy knocked out [Michael Chandler](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-chandler) at 4:29 of the first round, stunning him with a kick before finishing by TKO; President Donald Trump, watching ringside, reacted to the finish, and Ruffy proposed to his girlfriend, Nadine, during the post-fight interview.[6](https://apnews.com/article/82b8e51b557af2d54050d3ef9a069560) • [2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1)
**UFC 331.** On September 19, 2026, Ruffy faced the number-two-ranked [Arman Tsarukyan](https://www.edgepedia.org/arman-tsarukyan) in the co-main event of [UFC 331](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-331) at [Crypto.com Arena](https://www.edgepedia.org/crypto-com-arena) in Los Angeles, in a bout viewed as a possible title eliminator for the lightweight championship.[7](https://as.com/masdeporte/polideportivo/van-defendera-el-titulo-ante-pantoja-tsarukyan-vuelve-f202608-n/) • [8](https://as.com/masdeporte/polideportivo/tsarukyan-y-la-oportunidad-innegable-f202609-n/) Tsarukyan knocked him out at 4:56 of the first round.[2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1) Ruffy afterward said he had stopped Tsarukyan's takedowns but did not anticipate the fight-ending blow.[3](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Mauricio-Ruffy-192545)
## Fighting style and statistics
The UFC lists Ruffy's fighting style as striker.[2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1) His UFC statistics reflect a striking-first approach: 3.93 significant strikes landed per minute at 56 percent accuracy, against 3.66 absorbed per minute, with a takedown average of 0.00 per 15 minutes and takedown defense of 87 percent.[9](https://fightiq.net/fighter/mauricio-ruffy) He has gone to a decision only once in his professional career.[2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1)
He has cited [Alex Pereira](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-pereira) as his favorite fighter, saying Pereira goes into fights to finish them and that he tries to do the same.[2](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1)
## References
1. [Mauricio Ruffy, FightMatrix](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Mauricio%20Ruffy/144689/)
2. [Mauricio Ruffy, UFC athlete profile](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/mauricio-ruffy?page=1)
3. [Mauricio Ruffy, Sherdog](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Mauricio-Ruffy-192545)
4. [Matchup Spotlight: Rafael Fiziev vs Mauricio Ruffy, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/matchup-spotlight-rafael-fiziev-vs-mauricio-ruffy)
5. [Fighter Spotlight: Mauricio Ruffy, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/fighter-spotlight-mauricio-ruffy-ufc-paris)
6. [The Latest: Trump celebrates his 80th birthday with Iran deal and UFC cage fight at the White House, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/82b8e51b557af2d54050d3ef9a069560)
7. [Van defenderá el título ante Pantoja; Tsarukyan vuelve, AS](https://as.com/masdeporte/polideportivo/van-defendera-el-titulo-ante-pantoja-tsarukyan-vuelve-f202608-n/)
8. [Tsarukyan y la oportunidad innegable, AS](https://as.com/masdeporte/polideportivo/tsarukyan-y-la-oportunidad-innegable-f202609-n/)
9. [Mauricio Ruffy, record and tale of the tape, FightIQ](https://fightiq.net/fighter/mauricio-ruffy)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Mixed martial arts › Lightweight fighters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license