Prates insists undisclosed circumstances explain Ruffy's sole UFC defeat ahead of Tsarukyan clash

Carlos Prates has cast doubt on the validity of Mauricio Ruffy’s only UFC defeat, claiming undisclosed circumstances during fight week against Benoit St. Denis mean the result should not be taken at face value — with Ruffy now set to face Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 331 on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Speaking on AgFight’s Direto de Vegas podcast, Prates said he was present in the lead-up to the St. Denis bout and saw exactly what unfolded, but chose to stay silent out of respect for Ruffy’s own decision not to address it publicly.

“I was there the week of the fight with BSD and I saw what happened, but since Ruffy hasn’t talked about it, I’m not going to talk about it either,” Prates said. “I can only guarantee that wasn’t Ruffy in that Octagon.”

Prates was emphatic in his praise of Ruffy’s technical credentials, singling out his takedown defence as the strongest at the Fighting Nerds gym — the Brazilian camp the two shared before Ruffy relocated to Australia to train alongside featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

“This guy has the best takedown defense at Fighting Nerds,” Prates added. “Benoit is very tough, but if you put Ruffy in there with him 10 times, he wins 12.”

The comments carry added weight given the stakes of Ruffy’s next assignment. He enters the Tsarukyan fight as a sizeable underdog, but a victory would significantly elevate his standing in the UFC lightweight rankings. Prates, for one, is backing his countryman to prove the St. Denis result was an anomaly rather than a benchmark.