Tag: Mauricio Ruffy

UFC 309 medical suspensions: Stipe Miocic out for 60 days, several others up to three months

From one week to three months, check out the full list of medical suspensions handed out following UFC 309 in New York.

Every fighter who competed this past Saturday at UFC 309 has been given a medical suspension following their bouts.

Jhonata Diniz, Mickey Gall and Bassil Hafez were knocked out in their fights and were among four fighters who received 90-day suspensions, which was the longest period issued. The fourth fighter who received 90 days was James Llontop, who went the distance with Mauricio Ruffy, but was on the receiving end of multiple damaging strikes over three rounds.

The event, which took place at Madison Square Garden in New York, was headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and former champion Stipe Miocic. Although he announced his retirement following the main event, Miocic was given a 60-day suspension for his TKO loss to Jones.

Wednesday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of medical suspensions from the New York State Department of State, which oversaw the event. Check out the full list below. The suspensions ranged from a 7-day mandatory rest period to 90 days. Any fighter given 30-90 days may return sooner if cleared by a doctor (unless noted otherwise).

Eduarda Moura def. Veronica Hardy

Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Veronica Hardy (red gloves) fights Eduarda Moura (blue gloves) in the flyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

[autotag]Eduarda Moura[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest

[autotag]Veronica Hardy[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest

Oban Elliott def. Bassil Hafez

Ò(Editors Note: Graphic Content, Blood)Ó Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Bassil Hafez (red gloves) fights Oban Elliott (blue gloves) in the welterweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

[autotag]Oban Elliott[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

[autotag]Bassil Hafez[/autotag]: 90-day suspension with neurology clearance

Ramiz Brahimaj def. Mickey Gall

Ramiz Brahimaj def Mickey Gall UFC 309

[autotag]Ramiz Brahimaj[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest

[autotag]Mickey Gall[/autotag]: 90-day suspension with neurology clearance

Marcin Tybura def. Jhonata Diniz

Ò(Editors Note: Graphic Content, Blood)Ó Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Jhonata Diniz (blue gloves) reacts after losing to Marcin Tybura (red gloves, not pictured) in the Heavyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

[autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest

[autotag]Jhonata Diniz[/autotag]: 90-day suspension

David Onama def. Roberto Romero

Ò(Editors Note: Graphic Content, Blood)Ó Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; David Onama (red gloves) fights Roberto Romero (blue gloves) in the lightweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

[autotag]David Onama[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

[autotag]Roberto Romero[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

Jim Miller def. Damon Jackson

[autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest

[autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

Marcus McGhee def. Jonathan Martinez

Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Jonathan Martinez (red gloves) fights Marcus Mcghee (blue gloves) in the bantamweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

[autotag]Marcus McGhee[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest

Mauricio Ruffy def. James Llontop

Ò(Editors Note: Graphic Content, Blood)Ó Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Mauricio Ruffy (red gloves) fights James Llontop (blue gloves) in the catchweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

[autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

[autotag]James Llontop[/autotag]: 90-day suspension

Viviane Araujo def. Karine Silva

Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Viviane Araujo (red gloves) fights Karine Silva (blue gloves) in the WomenÕs Flyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

[autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

Bo Nickal def. Paul Craig

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 16: (R-L) Bo Nickal of the United States of America punches Paul Craig of Scotland in a middleweight fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

[autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest

[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

Charles Oliveira def. Michael Chandler

Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Charles Oliveira (red gloves) fights Michael Chandler (blue gloves) in the lightweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

Jon Jones def. Stipe Miocic

UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones (R) fights challenger Stipe Miocic during their heavyweight title bout at Madison Square Garden in New York, on November 16, 2024. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest

[autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag]: 60-day suspension

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: UFC 309 fallout, Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall, Paul-Tyson, more

On the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses Jon Jones’ win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, Jake Paul’s victory over Mike Tyson, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] has made the heavyweight division quite interesting, to say the least. The living legend returned to the cage Saturday, successfully defending his UFC heavyweight title against [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] in the main event of UFC 309. Now it seems Jones has little to no intention of unifying the belt with interim champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag], and is calling for a bout against fellow star and light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]. What happens now? Will Jones give in and fight Aspinall, or will he retire from MMA? We discuss and analyze everything surrounding the UFC 309 main event.
  • Jones wasn’t the only one who made headlines at UFC 309, which also saw [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] defeat [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] in their highly anticipated rematch; [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] continue his unbeaten run in MMA; [autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag] follow up on an impressive UFC debut; and much more. We discuss and highlight some of the other key results outside the UFC 309 main event.
  • Netflix debuted its first live sports event with a boxing match between popular influencer [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] and 58-year-old former champion [autotag]Mike Tyson[/autotag]. The event left plenty to discuss – some good, some bad. We react to Paul’s win over Tyson, along with Netflix’s jump into live sports.
  • To close out the show, we review some of the smaller news items outside the two big weekend events, including the booking of [autotag]Shavkat Rakmonov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag], which serves as the new co-main event of UFC 310; the return of [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], who fills in for Machado Garry to fight [autotag]Joaquim Buckley[/autotag] in the main event of UFC on ESPN 63 on Dec. 14; and the implementation of the old UFC gloves – sort of.

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Mauricio Ruffy calls for Benoit Saint-Denis following UFC 309 win

Mauricio Ruffy calls out veteran Benoit Saint-Denis after his decision win at UFC 309.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag] is whom [autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag] wants to meet in the octagon for his next UFC outing.

Ruffy, one of the most promising rising fighters at 155 pounds, called out the gritty veteran following his victory at Saturday’s UFC 309 in Madison Square Garden. Ruffy (11-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) defeated James Llontop (14-5 MMA, 0-3 UFC) in a unanimous decision that served as the opener of the pay-per-view main card.

For Ruffy, Saint-Denis is a logical next step, and a step fans would very much enjoy in his career.

“The guy is coming off two losses and people are looking at me and starting to point the finger and say, ‘This guy is coming up,'” Ruffy said at the UFC 309 post-fight press conference. “I think it will be a really good fight, and it’s not even coming from me. A lot of people online and on social media would like that fight to happen. I think it will be a great fight. I hope he takes it.”

Ruffy hasn’t had an easy road to get to the octagon. The Fighting Nerds product was supposed to fight Charlie Campbell on Saturday, but his rival withdrew from the fight days away from the event. Llontop ended up stepping in on short notice, but the fight was moved to a catchweight, which Llontop missed weight for.

“It’s been a mix of learning experiences,” Ruffy said. “You talk about six months: six months of camp, six months of dieting, six months of getting prepared for fights that didn’t happen. A lot of learning experiences, but I do want to thank the UFC for the opportunity to be here at a card in Madison Square Garden. I learned a lot and I took a lot from these experiences.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

UFC 309 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Jon Jones leads card in potential final bout

Jon Jones’ $42,000 led the Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts for UFC 309 in New York.

NEW YORK – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 309 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $262,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 309 took place at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 309 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]: $42,000
[autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]James Llontop[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Marcus McGhee[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]David Onama[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Roberto Romero[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Jhonata Diniz[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Mickey Gall[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Ramiz Brahimaj[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bassil Hafez[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Oban Elliott[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Eduarda Moura[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Veronica Hardy[/autotag]: $6,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,543,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $30,280,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Mauricio Ruffy def. James Llontop at UFC 309: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Mauricio Ruffy’s unanimous decision win over James Llontop at UFC 309.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]James Llontop[/autotag] at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Photos by Brad Penner, Imagn Images; UFC; MMA Junkie)

UFC 309 results: Mauricio Ruffy dazzles and spins, but can’t put away James Llontop

Mauricio Ruffy is fun to watch by all accounts, but he couldn’t put finish a durable James Llontop at UFC 309.

[autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag] razzled and dazzled, but left UFC 309 without a finish.

It wasn’t for a lack of trying – or succeeding – to land punches. Ruffy (11-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) hit opponent [autotag]James Llontop[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 0-3 UFC) with everything but the kitchen sink, but had to settle for a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) win rather than a knockout.

The 165-pound catchweight bout opened up the UFC 309 main card at Madison Square Garden in New York. The bout was initially scheduled for lightweight, but Llontop came into fight week heavy. The promotion bumped it up 10 pounds, but Llontop still missed by 1.2 pounds.

Ruffy was unfazed by the changes in circumstances and radiated an aura in the opening minutes of the fight. He was patient at first, but then uncorked some elitely-timed punches and dropped Llontop on multiple occasions. He even tried a jumping tornado kick.

Despite a massive mouse, directly on his machine gun face tattoo below his left eye, Llontop hung tough. He put forth a strong third round and appeared to be the fresher fighter in the final five minutes.

But the first two rounds were enough for Ruffy to sweep the scorecards and move to 2-0 in the UFC. He debuted in May when he scored a slick knockout against Jamie Mullarkey. The fight created a tremendous amount of buzz, and created difficulties for Ruffy to find a willing opponent. The Fighting Nerds product has now won six in a row.

As for Llontop, he comes up short for the third time in as many UFC appearances. His future is uncertain, particularly because of the weight miss. Perhaps his toughness displayed Saturday will twist the UFC brass into giving him one more opportunity.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 309 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop prediction, pick, start time for UFC 309

Mauricio Ruffy is “a fantastic prospect to feature” on the UFC 309 main card, but will he deliver against James Llontop?

[autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag] and [autotag]James Llontop[/autotag] meet Saturday on the UFC 309 main card at Madison Square Garden in New York. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 4-1
UFC main cards, 2024: 95-89-3

Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop UFC 309 preview

This fight takes on a bit of a different look after Llontop (14-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) missed the catchweight limit of 165 pounds, while Ruffy (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) came in just under the limit. Both men are early in their UFC tenures after earning contracts through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023. … Ruffy won his promotional debut this past May with a TKO of Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 301. … Llontop, meanwhile, is still in search of his first UFC win after dropping his first two appearances.

Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop UFC 309 expert pick, prediction

Despite having guaranteed action fights between dependable veterans like Jim Miller and Damon Jackson on the prelims, the UFC matchmakers decided to kick off the paid portion of the card with an impromptu catchweight bout between [autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag] and [autotag]James Llontop[/autotask].

In the matchmakers’ defense, Ruffy – who is a fantastic prospect to feature – was initially supposed to meet Serra-Long product Charlie Campbell. But with that fight falling through, Llontop was the one who was brought in on short notice.

Llontop is a tough Peruvian on the come-up, but I believe that the 25-year-old will be out-gunned in the size and skills department.

Add in the fact that Llontop struggled on the scales en route to missing the catchweight limit, and it’s hard not to favor the Fighting Nerds rep in Ruffy to style in this spot.

Llontop looks incredibly durable, but I suspect that Ruffy forces a stoppage via strikes by the beginning of Round 3.

Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop UFC 309 odds

The oddsmakers and the public are heavily favoring the Brazilian fighter, listing Ruffy (-850) and Llontop (+540) via FanDuel.

Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop UFC 309 start time, how to watch

As the main card opener, Ruffy and Llontop are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 10:15 p.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva prediction, pick, start time for UFC 309

Will Karine Silva remain perfect in the UFC when she meets Viviane Araujo at UFC 309?

[autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag] and [autotag]James Llontop[/autotag] meet Saturday on the UFC 309 main card at Madison Square Garden in New York. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 4-1
UFC main cards, 2024: 95-89-3

Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva Araujo UFC 309 preview

Araujo (12-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) has struggled to maintain momentum during her UFC tenure as she’s lost three of her past four bouts, including most recently a unanimous decision loss to Natalia Silva in February. … Silva (18-4 MMA, 4-0 UFC), on the other hand, hopes to make it five UFC wins in a row since earning her spot on the roster through Dana White’s Contender Series in October 2021.

Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva UFC 309 expert pick, prediction

Although I would’ve put something like Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee on the main card ahead of this fight, I can understand the UFC wanting to build a new contender in Silva.

Silva has won 5 straight fights since her successful Contender Series debut, avenging an early career loss to Maryna Moroz.

Araujo, on the other hand, has struggled to find consistency in the organization since scoring a stunning knockout win in her UFC debut. Moreover, Aaraujo has also been inconsistent with her pace and punctuality in exchanges, which makes me like the Silva side here.

Hopefully it’s an exciting fight from both women, but I see this one going to the scorecards where I see Silva getting the nod by unanimous decision.

Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva UFC 309 odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the younger fighter, listing Silva (-290) and Araujo (+225) via FanDuel.

Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva UFC 309 start time, how to watch

Araujo and Silva are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 10:45 p.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Two UFC 309 fight card changes announced

The UFC 309 fight card looks a little different than it did at the beginning of the week.

UFC 309 fight week is upon us and while most of the attention has been on the fights atop the bill, circumstances have required the promotion to tinker with the undercard.

Thursday, the promotion made two changes to Saturday’s card at Madison Square Garden in New York official. With Lucas Almeida out of his preliminary card bout vs. [autotag]David Onama[/autotag], in steps promotional newcomer [autotag]Roberto Romero[/autotag].

Romero (8-3-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) went 6-1-1 in Combate Global in the eight fights prior to his UFC signing. He most recently competed in July and won by first-round rear-naked choke. The win bounced him back from a loss in December.

Onama (12-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has proven himself a must-watch fighter over the span of his six-fight UFC tenure to date. Whether it’s his brutal knockout of Gabriel Santos or his back-and-forth wars against Nate Landwehr and Mason Jones, Onama has proven himself a tough test for all opposition.

Additionally, the main card opener between [autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and [autotag]James Llontop[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has been changed from lightweight (155 pounds) to super lightweight (165 pounds). No reason was given for this change.

With the changes, the UFC 309 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic – for heavyweight title
  • Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira
  • Paul Craig vs. Bo Nickal
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva
  • James Llontop vs. Mauricio Ruffy

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews/FX/Hulu, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
  • Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman
  • Damon Jackson vs. Jim Miller
  • David Onama vs. Roberto Romero

PRELIMINARY CARD (Hulu/ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Jhonata Diniz vs. Marcin Tybura
  • Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Mickey Gall
  • Bassil Hafez vs. Oban Elliott
  • Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Next Nerd up: Mauricio Ruffy plans to put on for team after elongated UFC 309 training camp

The UFC has been trying to book Mauricio Ruffy from May – and it took this long to get an opponent who’d show up.

LAS VEGAS – The Fighting Nerds have taken the MMA world by storm and [autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag] hopes to teach another lesson Saturday at UFC 309.

After months of trying to get and keep opponents, with multiple cancellations outside of his control, Ruffy (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) hopes to match or exceed the excitement his dominant debut over Jamie Mullarkey in May brought.

“We were always training, always getting ready for fights,” Ruffy told MMA Junkie and other reporters through a Portuguese-language interpreter during a media day Wednesday. “We were basically in camp all the time. Four fights fell (through). Eventually, I really got a great experience. I’m pretty much well-schooled now in the area of other fights and other opponents – now, the last one being also a last-minute replacement. What ended up happening was that I just got to train more. I just got to be more ready. I’m ready to go and I’m very ready for this fight.”

Ruffy only has one UFC fight under his belt. With a win, he’ll join teammates Caio Borralho, Jean Silva and Carlos Prates as one of four Fighting Nerds fighters to go undefeated in the UFC in 2024.

What’s happening is not typical, and Ruffy hopes their virtual trophy case will be filled with superlatives at the wrap of the calendar year.

“I’m being very sincere, asking anybody here that’s involved in this and that and has seen everything that’s happened, to look at all the performances, all the results we’ve had,” Ruffy said. “I think we’re leading candidate for Gym of the Year.”

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But in order to push his team one step further to that end-of-year goal, Ruffy will have to defeat short notice replacement James Llontop (14-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in the main card opener. Ruffy is taking the fight seriously, though he plans to dazzle fans in the spotlight he’s been given at Madison Square Garden.

“It’s incredible. After my last fight, I got like 150,000 followers on Instagram right away,” Ruffy said. “It’s been amazing. I feel really blessed with all the opportunities I’ve had. Look where I am now. Here I am: New York, UFC 309. I’m really grateful for the opportunity. They are showing me the path. They’re showing me the path to be more of a more strategic fighter, a calmer fighter. It’s been amazing. It’s been so good to be around everybody with the success. I’ve been becoming a better fighter because of it. It’s been amazing.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.