WASHINGTON – Arman Tsarukyan might have some competition for his backup role at UFC Freedom 250.
Mauricio Ruffy, who competes against Michael Chandler in Sunday’s event held at the White House, offered his services to be a backup for the Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje lightweight title unification bout. Although focused on Chandler (23-10 MMA, 2-5 UFC), Ruffy (13-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) plans to make championship weight, disregarding the one-pound allowance for non-title fights. Tsarukyan, the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds, is the official backup for the fight, and now Ruffy wants in, too.
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“I’m 100 percent dedicated to this, and I’ll be ready to fight for a championship,” Ruffy said in Portuguese at UFC Freedom 250 media day. “The talks that I’ve had with the UFC, and the team has had with the UFC, has lead us to believe from recent conversations, and I’m just going to say to you guys right now that on Saturday, I’m making championship weight. In case the UFC needs me and something happens, I’ll be making championship weight. I’m, of course, 100 percent focused and ready to go for my fight, but if need be, I’ll be ready on championship weight on Saturday. So if something happens, I’ll be ready to fight for a title.”
Should his backup services not be needed, Ruffy will have to dial back in his fight against Chandler. Many are curious to see how Ruffy’s wrestling and grappling defense will fare against Chandler, who’s capable of offensively grappling. Ruffy’s lone loss came against Benoit Saint Denis last September when he was outgrappled and eventually submitted.
“I’m an athlete, and all of us are looking to want to develop,” Ruffy said. “I’m somebody who’s been looking to improve and get better and evolve as a fighter and always bring new things. I’ve trained very hard for this, and that’s what I’ve been able to do. I’ve looked for that, and I’ve been able to do that. The plan that Fiziev had was the same, and I was able to stifle him and perform. When you saw something like that, I was able to perform against it already.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC White House: Mauricio Ruffy offers backup services title fight
