First Mauricio Ruffy sent a stern message with his performance in his UFC debut, then with his words after the win.
Ruffy (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) brought the violence at UFC 301 as he defeated Jamie Mullarkey by first-round TKO on Saturday at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Ruffy, making his promotional debut after earning a UFC contract last year on Dana White’s Contender Series, finished the fight with a flying knee and an arsenal of strikes at the 4:42 mark.
MAURICIO RUFFY’S POWER 💥 #UFC301
Stream #UFC301 tonight on @ESPN+ PPV ➡️ https://t.co/5fTe46h31v pic.twitter.com/lJUn9wM54T
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 4, 2024
Even though it was just one fight in the UFC for the 30-year-old Brazilian, that didn’t stop Ruffy from putting lightweight champion Islam Makhachev on notice during his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier.
“I have a message for Islam Makhachev, a nice message: Hey, enjoy your days at the top,” Ruffy said. “I know you’re upset because I beat your friend, but enjoy your days because a new king is coming.”
Ruffy’s win on DWCS came against Makhachev training partner Raimond Magomedaliev by third-round TKO last October.
Including that fight and his UFC debut, Ruffy is on a five-fight winning streak. Ruffy no doubt is facing a long road before even being considered for a fight with Makhachev, but he’s at least on the right track.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.
