Recently, Brazilian striker Mauricio Ruffy delivered a scathing critique of grappling-heavy combat styles at the UFC Paris media day, sparking debate.
The #15-ranked lightweight, known for his striking and membership in the “Fighting Nerds” team, didn’t mince words during an interview when discussing what he perceives as boring approaches to MMA competition. His comments come in the wake of Khamzat Chimaev’s dominant wrestling performance against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319, where the Chechen controlled his opponent for a record-breaking 21 minutes and 40 seconds of their 25-minute championship bout.
“I don’t think a guy that just holds on to you for 25 minutes should be considered the best in the world,” Ruffy stated, his frustration with grinding wrestling tactics clearly evident. The Brazilian striker went further, delivering what many consider a direct shot at sambo practitioners: “I have a saying that goes, ‘train Sambo if you want to put on boring fights.'”
Ruffy’s remarks have ignited speculation about the intended targets. While Chimaev’s recent title-winning performance seems an obvious reference point, the specific mention of sambo has led many to believe he’s taking aim at Dagestani champions like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, both renowned for their sambo backgrounds and grappling-heavy approaches.
The timing of these comments proves particularly intriguing, as Ruffy made them shortly after discussing Islam Makhachev’s recent departure from the lightweight division.
“We have guys like Topuria, who can play jiu-jitsu, wrestle, knock guys out and Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, all these guys have put on a great show,” Ruffy explained. “I don’t think that’s what the fans really deserve to watch, somebody being held for 25 minutes,” he added.
The response from the MMA community has been swift and divided. Some fans appreciate Ruffy’s honesty about the entertainment value of different fighting styles, while others have rushed to defend the fighters he appears to be criticizing.
“I understand his point,” one fan commented online. “But if he’s referring to khabib or Makhachev, he’s out of his mind. They’re entertaining. But nowadays a lot of guys do use control time and clinching against the cage while throwing knees to the thigh to rack up points and win rounds.”
Others have been less diplomatic in their criticism of Ruffy’s stance. “Islam has finished 8 of his last 9 fights. Khamzat is a finishing machine, in general. What planet is this Connor wannabe on?” another fan fired back.
While Chimaev’s performance against du Plessis was undeniably dominant from a technical standpoint – featuring 12 successful takedowns out of 17 attempts and overwhelming positional control – it left many fans craving more action.
This debate isn’t new to the sport, but Ruffy’s blunt assessment has reignited discussions about what constitutes exciting mixed martial arts. His own style certainly backs up his words – the Brazilian is coming off a spectacular spinning heel kick knockout of King Green at UFC 313, a finish that earned “KO of the year” consideration.
As Ruffy prepares for his co-main event bout against France’s Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC Paris, his comments have certainly raised the stakes.
