Mauricio Ruffy will face Michael Chandler at the UFC White House card. | Getty/UFC
Mauricio Ruffy turned out to be correct in the prediction of the venue for his next fight.
Four days before the official announcement of the UFC White House fight card, Ruffy said in an exclusive interview with Sherdog.com, “The UFC is really liking my performances. What I can say now is that my next fight will either be at the White House or five rounds.”
A few days later, Dana White would confirm the Brazilian’s statement, revealing that Michael Chandler would be his opponent at the UFC White House event on June 14.
“I have to thank Hunter and Dana a lot. I will complete two years in the UFC in May, already fulfilling a dream,” Ruffy said in a recent inteview with Sherdog. “I have a lot of respect for Chandler not only as a fighter, but as a family man. He is a very dangerous oponent. What I can say is that I will get in there in great shape, and Chandler will face the best Ruffy. In all my fights I look for the knockout all the time, and this time will be no different.”
Regarding the training camp, the lightweight fighter told us that he had a meeting with Pablo Sucupira on Sunday and hasn’t yet decided if he’ll do his camp at The Fighting Nerds.
“Right now I’m 100% focused on healing my hand,” he said. “I have two more weeks to decide. So I´ll put all my energy into that.”
The Brazilian believes that if he wins with another dominant performance, he will have his chance at the belt. Asked whom he believes will win between Topuria and Gaethje, Ruffy did not agree with the odds.
“It’s going to be a war,” Ruffy said. “Topuria doesn’t back down and exposes himself a lot in his fights. Gaethje has the same characteristic; unlike the odds I think it will be a war.”
Topuria Has Holes
In case of a Topuria victory, Ruffy believes he has the antidote to stop the champion.
“Topuria is extremely aggressive, but he also exposes himself a lot, so much so that when he faces technical opponents like Holloway, he also receives a lot of blows,” Ruffy said. “I have many weapons to deal with him. In six UFC fights, I was practically never hit in the face. Topuria has holes that I can exploit. I know I can beat him, and by knockout.”
