UFC lightweight star Mauricio Ruffy issued a statement after he finished Michael Chandler at UFC Freedom 250 in a destructive manner.
Ruffy landed punches and kicks that knocked Chandler down twice before finally finishing off with strikes late in the first round of their lightweight bout at the White House.
It was another impressive performance by Ruffy, the No. 9-ranked UFC lightweight coming into the night, as he improved to 5-1 in the UFC with four knockout wins.
Mauricio Ruffy Issues Statement Following Big Win on White House Lawn
Taking to his social media following UFC Freedom 250, Ruffy issued a statement about his spectacular win inside the Octagon.
“All honor and glory to Jesus. The boy who left Alagoas at the age of 14 is now on the biggest stage in the world, witnessing the power He has to transform lives — just as he transformed mine. More important than winning or knocking out, is having the immense privilege of talking about Jesus. ‘But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.’ —Matthew 6:33,” Ruffy wrote on his Instagram.
Though Ruffy had one of the best finishes on the card, because all seven winners won by TKO, he did not receive one of the special $425,000 Performance of the Night bonuses, which instead went to Justin Gaethje and Ciryl Gane, who won titles in the final two bouts on the card.
However, Ruffy at least took home a $25,000 Finish Bonus, and his spectacular victory was seen by many people as this UFC White House card was one of the biggest UFC events of all time.
What’s Next for Mauricio Ruffy After UFC Freedom 250?
Ruffy was already a rising star in the UFC lightweight division, but picking up such a devastating knockout on such a big card will only add to his star power.
Since he was ranked ninth in the UFC lightweight division, and Chandler was ranked below him, Ruffy probably won’t move too far up the lightweight rankings. Still, he has likely earned a fight against someone who is ranked ahead of him.
Directly ahead of Ruffy in the UFC lightweight rankings at No. 8 is Renato Moicano, his fellow Brazilian who has been in the UFC for over a decade. A fight between Ruffy and Moicano would be a lot of fun for the fans to watch, as they are two fighters who you know will always go in there and finish the fight, but there’s no guarantee that the UFC would want to match up two of their Brazilian lightweight draws against one another.
Another potential matchup is Ruffy against the No. 7-ranked Dan Hooker, who does not have an opponent lined up at the moment. That, too, would be a very interesting matchup, and with Hooker always putting on good fights, it would be another fan-friendly battle that would likely produce another bonus-worth performance for Ruffy, if he wins, though you can’t count out the durable Hooker from pulling off the upset in that one.
Mauricio Ruffy Issues Statement After Finishing Michael Chandler