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
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— 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.
UFC 301 winner Mauricio Ruffy warns Islam Makhachev ‘a new king is coming’ after debut