Arman Tsarukyan acknowledges the danger of Mauricio Ruffy's striking, their UFC 331 fight's magnitude

Arman Tsarukyan appears to have echoed the sentiments of a large section of MMA fans and experts, suggesting that his upcoming fight against Mauricio Ruffy is fraught with danger. 

The Georgia-born Armenian-Russian combatant particularly alluded to Ruffy's scary striking prowess, in addition to emphasizing their fight's high stakes. 

Arman Tsarukyan talks about the danger of Mauricio Ruffy fight and its significance as UFC 331 draws closer

In a video posted to his official YouTube channel, MMA star and social media influencer Arman Tsarukyan discussed his much-awaited fight with Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 this month.

The consensus is that Tsarukyan is the far superior grappler of the two, but Ruffy's unorthodox striking and KO power could make the striking realm the danger zone for the Armenian representative. He seemed to acknowledge it, stating: 

"I have a big fight coming up with Mauricio Ruffy. He's a -- I feel like the best striker right now in our division. Dangerous. I'm taking Mauricio Ruffy as an opponent like my title fight. Every fight for me is important. I give all of myself in training camp."

Tsarukyan had suffered a back injury issue just days out from a scheduled UFC lightweight title clash against then-lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in January of last year. His late withdrawal from the high-profile fight caught him a considerable amount of flak, with some experts even speculating that it has played a role in the UFC not giving him a title shot as of yet. 

His showdown against Ruffy has been deemed a UFC lightweight title eliminator by many. Tsarukyan, as such, shed light on the fight's magnitude, saying: 

"And if I lose this fight, I'm never gonna see title fight. So that's why I'm super-motivated for this fight, super-hungry; and I've been working so hard for that moment. And I never underestimate him, especially his striking. So I gotta be so smart during the fight. Because he has a good punch." 

Arman Tsarukyan reaffirms his belief in his skill set before UFC 331

Arman Tsarukyan suggested that although Mauricio Ruffy has knocked out many people, now it's his time and he'll overcome the Brazilian's feared stand-up game to beat him.

The Armenian "Batman" indicated that he has a good game plan, but he implied that he's not saying the fight would be easy. The grappling savant foresees it being a hard fight, albeit is confident about securing the victory. 

Presently, Justin Gaethje rules the UFC lightweight division. The American captured the title by becoming the first to hand the great Ilia Topuria an MMA defeat, stopping the latter by way of fourth-round TKO back in June.

Tsarukyan, Topuria, and former UFC lightweight champion and reigning BMF titleholder Charles Oliveira are counted among the frontrunners to face Gaethje for the belt when he returns to action next year. 

In the meantime, Tsarukyan would have to fend off the dangerous Ruffy, who, with a win at UFC 331, could upset the apple cart and insert himself into the title picture. Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy co-headlines UFC 331 in Los Angeles on September 19. 

Moreover, Tsarukyan's return to freestyle wrestling has also been booked. He'll wrestle against Dillon Danis for the inaugural RAF middleweight crossover title at RAF 14 on October 23, 2026. 

Watch Arman Tsarukyan address the Mauricio Ruffy matchup below (*comments at the 13:14-minute mark of the video):