Ruffy finally showed up and showed up for his Saturday night scrap against Rafael Fiziev in Sydney. Not only did Ruffy score a second-round TKO finish over Fiziev, but he also received a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus.
It was a great night at the office for Ruffy, which is impressive considering what he had to go through leading up to the fight. Alexander Volkanovski trained with Ruffy ahead of UFC 325, and he told reporters that “One Shot” was quite ill prior to the fight.
“Put it this way, we’re lucky that Ruffy even showed up this week,” Volkanovski said. “He had real flu A, crazy fever, at the beginning of the week. I didn’t even think he was going to be able to make the weight cut. I thought, ‘Oh man, we have to mentally try to help him get through that.’ Then even today he still had some problems. Big problems today, couldn’t move, but told him he had to mentally get himself together. He got around it himself and was then able to do what he does against someone like Rafa. Incredible.”
Ruffy fought through the adversity leading up to the fight and earned a much-needed victory. He was under scrutiny after his submission loss to Benoit Saint Denis in September 2025. Many thought the bubble had burst on Ruffy’s momentum, but The Fighting Nerds standout was able to put together a stellar performance against the always dangerous Fiziev.
What’s next for Ruffy remains to be seen, but he will certainly take all the time he needs to rest after a tough road to Saturday’s victory. BJPenn.com will keep you posted on Ruffy’s next fight in the coming months.
Who would you pit Mauricio Ruffy against next? Play matchmaker in the comments section below.
#Mauricio #Ruffy #missed #UFC #due #prefight #medical #issues