Ruffy Tells Tsarukyan He's Hunting KO At UFC 331

Mauricio Ruffy has one goal for his UFC 331 clash with Arman Tsarukyan: a knockout finish.

The Brazilian lightweight told fans on social media this week that he plans to put Tsarukyan to sleep when they meet Sept. 19 in Los Angeles. "Winning this fight takes us straight to the title," Ruffy said, per Championship Rounds. "I don't feel pressure at all. I'm going there for the knockout, I don't want to leave the octagon without that result."

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Tsarukyan Gets Title Promise After Oliveira Rematch Scrapped

The matchup came as a shock when the UFC announced it Wednesday. Most observers expected Tsarukyan to run back his close February loss to BMF champion Charles Oliveira. Instead, the promotion pivoted to Ruffy, who has stopped his last two opponents after a submission loss to Benoit Saint Denis last September. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reports that Tsarukyan was told he'll get a lightweight title shot with a win over Ruffy.

Ruffy bounced back from the Saint Denis setback with TKO victories over Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler. Now ranked inside the top 10 at 155 pounds, he sees a knockout of Tsarukyan as his own path to challenging Justin Gaethje for the UFC Lightweight Championship. Skeptics question whether Ruffy can keep the fight standing long enough to land something significant against Tsarukyan's grappling, but the Brazilian appears unfazed by the doubt.

🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to UFC 331 on Ticketmaster →

Tsarukyan missed a planned title fight with Islam Makhachev in early 2025 due to injury. UFC president Dana White has reportedly warmed to the Armenian contender again in recent months thanks to his social media activity. A dominant showing at UFC 331 would finally lock down the title shot Tsarukyan has chased for over a year.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Mauricio Ruffy solely focused on KO against Arman Tsarukyan amid surprising UFC 331 booking: “I don’t feel pressure at all”