In the race for a shot at Justin Gaethje’s lightweight title, Mauricio Ruffy fell short. Fighting in the co-main event of UFC 331, Arman Tsarukyan stopped him in the opening round of what many viewed as an unofficial title eliminator. For Ruffy, it particularly stings because he felt he was close to securing a breakthrough win.

“So he was hurt, he had a very closed eye, he was going to take a lot of hand up there, and I knew that I was going to, in my head, I was sure that I was going to end the fight in the second round,” Ruffy said in a recent interview.

Ruffy’s comments stem from what unfolded on September 19 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. As the fight began, he felt he had largely solved Tsarukyan’s physical threat.

While the Armenian’s grip during the initial clinch was strong, Ruffy noticed a clear drop in resistance when they engaged for a second time. That gave him confidence that he could break free and dictate the action.

The Brazilian knockout artist also revealed that he deliberately put himself through difficult positions rather than immediately escaping, because he wanted to overcome the doubts he had carried into the fight.

“The first blow I gave him was already a flash-knockdown; I felt the fight in my hands,” Ruffy added. “And when I gave him a flash-down, I felt that his strength was breaking; I saw how much he complained when I hit the elbow on the tip of his rib when he was defending the fall.”

Yet things eventually unraveled as a solid right-left elbow combination from Tsarukyan at 4:56 of round 1 ended Ruffy’s run that began with his first-round stoppage win over Michael Chandler at UFC Freedom 250, three months ago.

Despite the devastating loss, Mauricio Ruffy acknowledged that he was largely responsible for the outcome.

“It was my fault; it was my carelessness,” he said. “When the guys yelled at me, ten seconds left, and he got on my leg, it was the best thing for me. I said, ‘He’s going to spend a little bit of energy to start the second round, and I’m going to knock him out.’

“So for me, it was the best decision for him to get on my legs; there were four seconds left. I had blows to make; I could have left the cage, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to use that moment against him. I relaxed; I relaxed in defense, something I usually don’t do. So I paid a price for it.”

Ruffy’s acknowledgement isn’t unprecedented.

Mauricio Ruffy thought he had the answer. Arman Tsarukyan had one of his own

On September 6, 2025, he suffered his first loss in the UFC when Benoit Saint-Denis forced a submission via face crank. Reflecting on the loss, the Brazilian mixed martial artist said that for the first time in his life, he felt he was not in control of his body after entering the cage.

Ruffy’s latest remarks, meanwhile, stand in sharp contrast to Arman Tsarukyan’s views.

Speaking with Ariel Helwani after the fight, Tsarukyan reflected that there was no way Ruffy would have beaten him. He argued that had the Brazilian escaped his elbow, he would have succumbed to a submission in the second round. If Ruffy managed to escape that as well, Tsarukyan anticipated a technical knockout would have finally ended Ruffy’s campaign that night.

Tsarukyan acknowledged Ruffy as the best striker in the lightweight division. But he claimed things turn out differently once a fight begins. Ruffy could be the finest striker in the UFC. Still, all he needed was to apply wrestling and then knock him out. Ruffy would be too focused on the grappling to pay enough attention to the strikes.

And that’s essentially what unfolded last Saturday.

Ruffy’s UFC record now stands 5-2. It’s too early to speculate as to when and against whom he makes his next appearance. However, some outlets suggest a matchup against rising contender Quillan Salkilld could be in the cards early in 2027.