Mauricio Ruffy's First Statement After Arman Tsarukyan Loss

Pulse Sports Team 10:22 - 24 September 2026

Mauricio Ruffy has spoken in detail for the first time since his UFC 331 defeat on Saturday, placing all the blame squarely on himself.

In the co-main event of UFC 331, the Brazilian (14-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) suffered a brutal knockout loss at the end of the first round against Arman Tsarukyan at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The victory earned Tsarukyan (24-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) a title shot and snapped Ruffy's two-fight winning streak.

On Wednesday, Ruffy released a lengthy video in Portuguese, dissecting his tactical plan for the fight and pinpointing the mistake he believes cost him the bout.

Ruffy stated that he intentionally went against Tsarukyan's strengths to prove to himself that he is an elite fighter deserving of his top-tier status.

"I entered the fight so confident that I wanted to get through everything in the first round, to get the knockout. I wanted to overcome the things in my head, sometimes influenced by other people – so much talk. I also wanted to prove to myself that I'm good. That's why I wanted to defend all the takedowns and didn't want to finish the fight quickly. I wanted to come out of there a better fighter. I say 'better' in the sense of going through situations, not just to make it clear to people, but to myself, how ready I am for this. I know I'm ready. But knowing isn't everything, you have to prove it to yourself. I was one hundred percent focused on performing, going through all possible situations and having an answer for each of them."

After rewatching the fight, Ruffy believes his plan was perfect right up until the dramatic and sudden end. His strategy was to wear down Tsarukyan by stuffing his takedown attempts and landing strikes when possible, aiming to deplete the Armenian's energy and take over the fight with increased aggression. Tsarukyan was visibly rocked by several of Ruffy's early strikes, including one that caused significant swelling under his left eye.

However, moments after the 10-second warning, Tsarukyan landed two vicious elbows that left Ruffy unconscious on the canvas with his eyes open. Ruffy revealed that his fatal error was prioritizing offense over defense in those final seconds, in an attempt to show the judges he could once again escape Tsarukyan's grasp.

"He was already rocked from my first attack. I felt it immediately. I felt like I was controlling the fight, and when he was dazed, I felt his power diminish. I saw how much it hurt him when I elbowed him in the ribs while he was defending a takedown. He was hurt, his eye was almost closed. I knew I was going to land a lot of strikes, and I was sure I would finish the fight in the second round. It's important to say that the mistake was entirely mine. My fault. It was my carelessness, and credit goes to Arman; he's an excellent fighter. When they announced 10 seconds left, he went for my leg. That was the best thing for me. I thought, he'll waste a little more energy here. The second round will start, and I'll knock him out. So for me, that was the best decision. He grabbed my leg. There were four seconds left. I had strikes to land. I could have gotten out of the clinch, but I didn't want to. I wanted to use that moment against him, and it was a good idea. I just neglected myself. I relaxed my defense, which I usually don't do, and I paid the price for it."

The 30-year-old Ruffy has vowed to return better than ever. Saturday's bout was only his seventh in the organization, and he has already established himself as a contender. There's room for growth, and Ruffy plans to demonstrate it by taking on the toughest available challenge when it's time for his comeback.

"With a win, we celebrate. With a loss, we live with the lessons of defeat. But that doesn't make me happier than I already am when this moment passes and it's all over, and what remains is what you do every day. How you wake up, how you live, how you feel inside. Truly, guys, thank you for the support. I am very well. I am so happy, Jesus makes me one hundred percent happy. Now I will strive to improve and develop. I will train more. I will train much more. The guys waiting for me out there, I don't want an easy fight. I want to fight the best in the world. I want to show that I have the ability to beat the best in the world in a very good way. So I will dedicate myself to that and work very hard. Thank you very much for your support. God bless you. Wait for me. I'm coming back to the game with everything I've got."