Mauricio Ruffy scores brutal knockout of Rafael Fiziev at UFC 325
Mauricio Ruffy has always been an elite knockout threat. What he lacked at times was elite composure. At UFC 325, Ruffy showed the championship composure that comes from training with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Ruffy collided with compatriot Rafael Fizev on Saturday. It was a crucial fight for Ruffy, who was coming off his first UFC loss against Benoit Saint Denis. Ruffy’s demise in this fight was due to his urgency to force a memorable ending. Against Fiziev, he took his time. Fiziev looked good earlier, pressuring Ruffy against the fence and lighting him up with kicks. Ruffy started refreshingly slow and found his rhythm towards the end of the first round.
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This slow escalation has served him well. Ruffy started to take control of the fight in the second frame. In the last minute, he blasted Fiziev with an ultra-precise right cross. The punch sounded like a baseball bat, immediately putting Fiziev in trouble. Fiziev barely survived the initial onslaught of strikes, but fell immediately after getting up. The referee intervened 30 seconds from the end of the second round.
After the fight, Ruffy called out Paddy Pimblett and Conor McGregor.
