Mauricio Ruffy almost didn’t make it to fight night for UFC 325.
Ruffy ultimately showed up and showed out for his Saturday night scrap against Rafael Fiziev in Sydney. Not only did Ruffy score a second-round TKO finish over Fiziev, but he also snagged a “Performance of the Night” bonus.
It was a great night at the office for Ruffy, which is impressive considering what he had to go through pre-fight. Alexander Volkanovski trained with Ruffy ahead of UFC 325, and he told reporters that “One Shot” was quite ill prior to the bout.
“Put it this way, we’re lucky that Ruffy even turned up this week,” Volkanovski said. “He had legit influenza A at the start of the week, crazy fevers. I didn’t even think he’d be able to do the weight cut. I was like, ‘Oh man, we’ve got to mentally try to get him through that.’ Then, he had some troubles even today. Big troubles today, couldn’t move but just told him he’s got to mentally get himself in there. Got himself around it and then was able to go and do what he does against someone like Rafa. Incredible.”
Ruffy battled through adversity pre-fight and pulled off a much-needed victory. He had been under scrutiny following his submission loss to Benoit Saint Denis back in Sept. 2025. Many thought that the bubble had burst on Ruffy’s momentum, but The Fighting Nerds standout was able to turn in a stellar performance against the always dangerous Fiziev.
What’s next for Ruffy remains to be seen, but he’ll be sure to take all the time he needs to rest up after a rough road to Saturday’s victory. BJPenn.com will keep you updated on Ruffy’s next fight in the coming months.
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