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Mauricio Ruffy (12-1) left UFC 313 with a potential KO of the year against a legend like King Green (32-17-1). It took the member of the 'Fighting Nerds' two minutes to damage his opponent with his right hand and later connect an incredible spinning wheel kick that turned out the lights for the American. With this resounding victory, the Brazilian is now on the verge of the top 15 in the lightweight division, while expectations continue to grow. The aura of a special fighter is there, as can be seen.
With this KO, Mauricio already has 11 finishes in his entire career, while he remains undefeated in the UFC with three wins and two KOs. The only one able to withstand his onslaught was James Llontop at UFC 309, fighting at a catchweight in a bout in which the Brazilian scored a knockdown and dominated clearly. On this occasion, four punches on Green were enough to achieve his goal
Despite what many people think, Ruffy is not Mauricio's real surname, but he changed it by taking inspiration from his favorite character in 'One Piece', Monkey D. Luffy. The Brazilian s the club of fighters who take anime as an influence for their fights, with well-known cases such as Israel Adesanya or Max Holloway. "In my debut, my brother changed my surname. People liked it, they went crazy after a KO, and it stuck," he said at last Wednesday's media day.
After this brutal KO, the UFC is expected to grant Ruffy a top 15 ranking, as his striking style and charisma are a breath of fresh air for a division that is constantly adding new stars. In just one month, Jean Silva and Carlos Prates have fights at UFC 314 in Miami, and if 2024 was the year of the 'Fighting Nerds', 2025 looks set to continue in the same vein.