In the co-main event of UFC 331, Arman Tsarukyan brutally knocked out Mauricio Ruffy to cement his place as the No. 1 lightweight contender.
Tsarukyan stopped Ruffy with seconds to go in the first round as he dropped his foe with an elbow and punches for the most impressive win of his UFC career to date.
Arman Tsarukyan Secures Title Shot
With the win over Ruffy, one would think that Tsarukyan would be next in line to fight UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.
The UFC has been talking about doing a rematch between Gaethje and Ilia Topuria or potentially Paddy Pimblett, but it would be impossible not to give Tsarukyan the title shot after this absolutely amazing win.
Not only did Tsarukyan defeat Ruffy, but he knocked him out, proving that he’s the next man in line to fight for the belt.
At this point, going with anyone else for the title shot instead of Tsarukyan would be crazy for the UFC, so look for him to fight for the belt next.
What’s Next for Mauricio Ruffy?
For Ruffy, this was a really tough loss as he was running up the lightweight rankings and closing in on a title shot himself. But this loss to Tsarukyan is going to seriously set him back in his quest for the title.
While Ruffy is a fun fighter to watch, he has been finished twice in his last four fights, and unfortunately, that’s not someone who is title-worthy.
We’ll have to wait and see what the UFC has in store for Ruffy going forward, but getting knocked out in the fashion that he did against Tsarukyan is not a good look.
That being said, his takedown defense did look strong early in the fight, so there are some positives to take away from this performance. But getting brutally knocked out in the way that he did is not going to be something that advances him in the weight class going forward, and it feels like Ruffy is going to be someone who settles in as a gatekeeper rather than a legitimate title contender at lightweight.
Arman Tsarukyan Knocks Out Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331