Mauricio Ruffy is leaving nothing to chance ahead of UFC 329.
Fresh off the biggest victory of his career, the rising Brazilian star has confirmed that he will serve as the backup fighter for the highly anticipated welterweight main event between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway in Las Vegas.
With McGregor set to make his long-awaited return to the Octagon after five years away, and Holloway looking to spoil the comeback story, UFC officials have turned to Mauricio Ruffy as the emergency replacement should either fighter be unable to compete.
Ruffy revealed the news in a video posted to social media, explaining that he accepted the opportunity even while enjoying time away from training.
“Hey guys. As you know, I made myself available for the Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway fight. I’m going on a trip to Las Vegas,” Ruffy said.“I took good care of myself. These guys made me train halfway through my vacation.”
The Brazilian lightweight also showed himself stepping on the scale at around 185 pounds, indicating that making the welterweight limit would not be a major issue if the UFC called on him at short notice.
While Mauricio Ruffy hopes the UFC 329 main event proceeds as planned, he made it clear that he is ready to seize the opportunity if fate opens the door.
Ruffy admitted that a fight against McGregor intrigues him, but he also likes his chances against Holloway. Regardless of the opponent, the Brazilian believes his knockout power could make the difference.
“Me against Conor McGregor, I believe it would be a very good fight,” Ruffy said.“But I also think it would be a really cool fight against Max Holloway. believe in my knockout power. He’s a guy who doesn’t always come forward, but I go in there to finish fights, and I don’t miss my chances.It would be really cool to see this fight happen. I’m going. Let’s see what happens.”
After suffering a setback against Benoit Saint Denis at UFC Paris, Ruffy bounced back in impressive fashion. He earned a third-round TKO victory over Rafael Fiziev before delivering the most significant win of his UFC career by stopping former Bellator champion Michael Chandler in the opening round at UFC Freedom 250.
