Mauricio Ruffy, who remained a pillar at Fighting Nerds, walked away from the team this month, ending a career-long partnership. The departure has come ahead of his fight against Michael Chandler at UFC Freedom 250. The sudden exit has sparked speculation around Ruffy’s severed bond with his former teammates, with fans wanting to know what really happened.
Top welterweight title contender and former teammate Carlos Prates cleared the air on the team’s current relationship with Ruffy on the Ariel Helwani show. Going by him, it may not be as bad as what the fans expected.
“No, he’s happy with all things,” Prates told Helwani. “He’s really smart and intelligent. I’m sure he’s doing a really good job, you know, and I think he’s going to win against Chandler, I’m really excited to watch the fight.”
Mauricio Ruffy’s exit marks the first high-profile departure from Fighting Nerds, which currently houses top fighters like Caio Borralho, Jean Silva, and Carlos Prates. Before Ruffy made the official announcement, signs of a split appeared even before that. Following tensions between him and Jean Silva, the 29-year-old trained with Alexander Volkanovski ahead of his fight against Rafael Fiziev at UFC 325. However, it remained unclear whether he had permanently shifted to the featherweight king’s camp.
After Ruffy’s win over Fiziev, many believed the Alagoas native would relocate his camp to Australia. Yet, there were no major moves. Ariel Helwani asked Prates where Ruffy had been preparing for his upcoming fight against Chandler. Interestingly, Prates revealed that he is currently training in the United States.
It is worth noting that Mauricio Ruffy, striking coach Lee Alves, and business partner Yann Oliveira had planned to open a facility in the United States for Fighting Nerds before his fight against Bobby Green at UFC 313. On those lines, fans are speculating that Ruffy is now training at the same facility despite departing from his former team.
Regardless of where he is preparing, Ruffy remains a heavy -480 favorite against Chandler for their June 14 clash, while the former Bellator champion will step in as a +330 underdog, according to FanDuel odds.
"He's really smart and intelligent. I'm sure he is doing a really good job. I think he's gonna win against Chandler, I'm really excited to watch the fight." Prates had nothing bad to say about Ruffy leaving the Fighting Nerds 🤓 #HelwaniShow
The former Fighting Nerds standout has won two out of his last three fights, with his only UFC loss coming by way of submission against Benoit Saint Denis at UFC Paris last year. On the other hand, the former Bellator champ has won one out of his last five fights, with his latest win coming by way of knockout against Tony Ferguson back in 2022.
While both men are looking to make a statement on June 14th, Mauricio Ruffy has seemingly found the most unexpected training partner in the UFC, someone even Ilia Topuria refused to spar with.
Mauricio Ruffy trains with Alex Pereira ahead of UFC Freedom 250 bout
The UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria publicly stood up for Alex Pereira during the press conference of the UFC White House card. However, as per reports, Ilia Topuria turned down a chance to spar with ‘Poatan,’ likely due to their massive size difference.
Mauricio Ruffy, who is also competing on the same card, took things a step further and dared to lace up against Alex Pereira for a friendly sparring session. Taking to Instagram, Pereira’s coach, Plinio Cruz, uploaded footage of Ruffy trading shots with the former two-time light heavyweight champion wearing boxing gloves.
Watching the clip, the lightweight contender appeared to hold his own surprisingly well against a towering ‘Poatan’ in front of him. It won’t be surprising if Ruffy’s already excellent striking game sees progress after training at Pereria’s camp.
It is safe to say that Mauricio Ruffy is embracing a nomadic training style, as he continues to spar with different fighters across various gyms. Still, in the long run, he will likely need a stable and experienced team capable of guiding him through the rankings and eventually into championship-level fights.
