Maurício Ruffy

Maurício Ruffy

Maurício de Lima Santos (born June 17, 1996), known as Maurício Ruffy, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of February 3, 2026, he is #9 in the UFC lightweight rankings.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ruffy acquired a record of 8–1 with eight knockouts competing exclusively on the Brazilian regional scene. This included a second-round knockout over UFC veteran Ronys Torres.

Dana White's Contender Series

Ruffy was then booked to compete on Week 9 of Season 7 of Dana White's Contender Series on October 3, 2023, against highly touted prospect Raimond Magomedaliev. He would win the fight via third-round technical knockout and was awarded a contract by Dana White.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After earning his contract, Ruffy made his UFC debut at UFC 301 against Jamie Mullarkey on May 4, 2024. He would win the fight via technical knockout in the first round. This fight earned him a Performance of the Night award.

In his next fight, Ruffy was scheduled to face Charlie Campbell at UFC 309 on November 16, 2024. However, Campbell withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons and was subsequently replaced by James Llontop in a catchweight bout of 165 pounds. Llontop weighed in 1.2 lbs over the 165 lb catchweight limit and was fined 20 percent of his purse, which went to Ruffy. Ruffy would win the fight via unanimous decision, marking the first time he would go to the scorecards in his career.

Ruffy would then face King Green at UFC 313 on March 8, 2025. He would win the fight via first-round knockout with a spinning wheel kick. This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.

Ruffy faced Benoît Saint Denis on September 6, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 258. He lost the fight via a face crank submission in the second round.

Ruffy faced Rafael Fiziev on February 1, 2026 at UFC 325. He won the fight by technical knockout in the second round. This fight earned him a $100,000 Performance of the Night award.

Ruffy is scheduled to face former three-time Bellator Lightweight World Champion (also former UFC Lightweight Championship challenger) Michael Chandler on June 14, 2026 at UFC Freedom 250.

Personal life

Maurício Ruffy

Inspired by One Piece, the moniker of Ruffy was given to Maurício by his late brother before his first professional fight.

In 2025, Ruffy announced plans to expand his team, Fighting Nerds, by opening a new training facility in New Hampshire, to provide better facilities for his teammates and other athletes.

Championships and accomplishments

Maurício Ruffy

• Ultimate Fighting Championship • Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Jamie Mullarkey, King Green and Rafael Fiziev • UFC Honors Awards • 2025: President's Choice Performance of the Year Nominee & Fan's Choice Knockout of the Year Nominee vs. King Green • UFC.com Awards • 2024: Ranked #4 Newcomer of the Year • 2025: Ranked #2 Knockout of the Year vs. King Green • Centurion Fight Championship • CFC Welterweight Tournament • Mega Fight Championship • MFC Super Lightweight Championship • ESPN • 2025 Knockout of the Year vs. King Green at UFC 313 • theScore • 2025 Knockout of the Year vs. King Green • MMA Fighting • 2025 Knockout of the Year vs. King Green at UFC 313 • LowKick MMA • 2025 Knockout of the Year vs. King Green at UFC 313 • Bloody Elbow • 2025 #2 Ranked Knockout of the Year vs. King Green at UFC 313 • MMA Mania • 2025 #2 Ranked Knockout of the Year vs. King Green at UFC 313 • Uncrowned • 2025 #3 Ranked Knockout of the Year vs. King Green at UFC 313

Mixed martial arts record

Maurício Ruffy

<table><thead><tr><th>Res.</th><th>Record</th><th>Opponent</th><th>Method</th><th>Event</th><th>Date</th><th>Round</th><th>Time</th><th>Location</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Win</td><td>13–2</td><td>Rafael Fiziev</td><td>TKO (punches)</td><td>UFC 325</td><td>February 1, 2026</td><td>2</td><td>4:30</td><td>Sydney, Australia</td><td>Performance of the Night.</td></tr><tr><td>Loss</td><td>12–2</td><td>Benoît Saint Denis</td><td>Submission (face crank)</td><td>UFC Fight Night: Imavov vs. Borralho</td><td>September 6, 2025</td><td>2</td><td>2:56</td><td>Paris, France</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Win</td><td>12–1</td><td>King Green</td><td>KO (spinning wheel kick)</td><td>UFC 313</td><td>March 8, 2025</td><td>1</td><td>2:07</td><td>Las Vegas, Nevada, United States</td><td>Performance of the Night.</td></tr><tr><td>Win</td><td>11–1</td><td>James Llontop</td><td>Decision (unanimous)</td><td>UFC 309</td><td>November 16, 2024</td><td>3</td><td>5:00</td><td>New York City, New York, United States</td><td>Catchweight (166.2 lb) bout; Llontop missed weight.</td></tr><tr><td>Win</td><td>10–1</td><td>Jamie Mullarkey</td><td>TKO (punches)</td><td>UFC 301</td><td>May 4, 2024</td><td>1</td><td>4:42</td><td>Rio de Janeiro, Brazil</td><td>Return to Lightweight. Performance of the Night.</td></tr><tr><td>Win</td><td>9–1</td><td>Raimond Magomedaliev</td><td>TKO (punches)</td><td>Dana White's Contender Series 65</td><td>October 3, 2023</td><td>3</td><td>4:45</td><td>Las Vegas, Nevada, United States</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Win</td><td>8–1</td><td>Ronys Torres</td><td>TKO (punches)</td><td>Centurion FC: Rex Redemptor</td><td>May 26, 2023</td><td>2</td><td>4:21</td><td>Rio de Janeiro, Brazil</td><td>Won the Centurion FC Welterweight Tournament.</td></tr><tr><td>Win</td><td>7–1</td><td>Corneliu Rotaru Lascar</td><td>TKO (punches)</td><td>1</td><td>4:23</td><td>Welterweight debut. Centurion FC Welterweight Tournament Semifinal.</td></tr><tr><td>Win</td><td>6–1</td><td>Brenno Luiz Gonçalves</td><td>TKO (punch)</td><td>Arena Pride MMA 4</td><td>June 26, 2022</td><td>1</td><td>1:26</td><td>Santos, Brazil</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Loss</td><td>5–1</td><td>Manoel Sousa</td><td>KO (punches)</td><td>Standout Fighting Tournament 18</td><td>November 13, 2019</td><td>2</td><td>2:41</td><td>São Paulo, Brazil</td><td>Return to Lightweight.</td></tr><tr><td>Win</td><td>5–0</td><td>Derlan Marinho</td><td>KO (punches)</td><td>Mega Fight Championship 2</td><td>June 22, 2019</td><td>1</td><td>3:35</td><td>Osasco, Brazil</td><td>Super Lightweight debut. Won the MFC Super Lightweight Championship.</td></tr><tr><td>Win</td><td>4–0</td><td>Rafael Silva</td><td>TKO (punch)</td><td>Standout Fighting Tournament 8</td><td>December 15, 2018</td><td>2</td><td>1:08</td><td>São Paulo, Brazil</td><td>Catchweight (168 lb) bout.</td></tr><tr><td>Win</td><td>3–0</td><td>Lucas Costa Jesus</td><td>TKO (elbows)</td><td>Batalha MMA 13</td><td>June 30, 2018</td><td>1</td><td>1:42</td><td>Osasco, Brazil</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Win</td><td>2–0</td><td>Wendson Santos</td><td>TKO (punches)</td><td>Gold Fight 9</td><td>August 26, 2017</td><td>1</td><td>1:04</td><td>São Paulo, Brazil</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Win</td><td>1–0</td><td>Marlon Paula de Souza</td><td>TKO (punches)</td><td>Premium Fight Championship 6</td><td>September 18, 2016</td><td>1</td><td>0:30</td><td>São Paulo, Brazil</td><td>Lightweight debut.</td></tr></tbody></table>