Fighting Nerds Coach Compares Ruffy To Ronaldinho

Flavio Alvaro believes Mauricio Ruffy possesses a rare talent in mixed martial arts, comparing the UFC lightweight to Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldinho ahead of Saturday's co-main event at UFC 331.

Alvaro, who previously coached Ruffy at Fighting Nerds as a ground specialist, told Sherdog this week that the Brazilian stands out among every fighter he has worked with. "What I can say with confidence is that he's the most skilled guy I've ever seen in MMA. He's a genius," Alvaro said. "If I had to compare him to soccer, which is Brazil's favorite sport, I'd say he's Ronaldinho."

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Tsarukyan Presents Tough Test For Ruffy

The coach acknowledged that Ruffy faces a significant challenge in second-ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan, who brings both experience and an iron will to the cage. Alvaro called the matchup one of the toughest stylistic puzzles Ruffy could encounter in the division, citing Tsarukyan's relentless mentality and championship-level wrestling.

Still, Alvaro expressed confidence in his former student's ability to finish the fight early if Ruffy enters the octagon at full strength. "Tsarukyan is the favorite because of his experience. He's extremely tough," Alvaro said, per Sherdog. "But if Ruffy is at 100 percent, I don't believe this fight will make it to the third round. It will be a massacre."

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Ruffy trained under Alvaro from age 18 to 24 before joining the Fighting Nerds team, where he introduced the coach to other Brazilian prospects. Alvaro recently traveled to Arizona to corner Jean Silva for his seventh UFC victory and maintains close ties with Ruffy despite no longer working together formally.

UFC 331 takes place Saturday with the Ruffy-Tsarukyan co-main event scheduled for five rounds at lightweight.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Fighting Nerds coach calls Mauricio Ruffy the ‘Ronaldinho’ of MMA