Volkanovski and Sucupira back underdog Ruffy to knock out Tsarukyan at UFC 331

Mauricio Ruffy heads into the co-main event of UFC 331 in Los Angeles as a sizable underdog against Arman Tsarukyan, yet the Brazilian lightweight has two high-profile voices in his corner predicting a statement finish.

Former coach Pablo Sucupira, of Fighting Nerds, believes the betting market has over-corrected in response to Ruffy’s loss to Benoit St. Denis — a defeat in which he was taken down and stopped. Sucupira argues that result was an outlier, pointing out that accomplished wrestlers Michael Chandler and Rafael Fiziev both failed to secure takedowns against Ruffy in previous bouts.

“I don’t just think Ruffy is going to win; I think he’s going to send a message by knocking Arman out,” Sucupira told Sherdog. “Michael Chandler and [Rafael] Fiziev also tried, but nobody was able to take him down.”

Ruffy has since joined the camp of UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who has trained extensively with the lightweight ahead of UFC 331. Volkanovski offered a pointed assessment of what Tsarukyan — widely regarded as one of the division’s elite wrestlers — could face if his takedown attempts come up short.

“He is on another level concerning takedown defense,” Volkanovski said in the UFC 331 Countdown preview. “It’s going to be very important with guys like Arman, probably one of the best wrestlers in the UFC. But if you’re going for shots and you know that’s your only chance to grab a hold of him and that’s not happening, and all of a sudden, you’ve got Ruffy in your face, that’s a big, big, big problem to have.”

The co-main event billing represents the biggest fight of Ruffy’s career to date, and the confidence expressed by both his former and current coaches suggests his camp views the underdog tag as motivation rather than a burden. Whether his improved grappling defence holds up against Tsarukyan’s elite wrestling will likely determine the outcome of one of UFC 331’s most intriguing matchups.