It’s a fan-favorite veteran vs. a fun rising contender to start the UFC 313 main card. Will Bobby Green stop Mauricio Ruffy’s momentum?
[autotag]King Green[/autotag] and [autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag] meet Saturday in the main card opener of UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Last event: 2-3 UFC main cards, 2025: 17-13-1
King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy UFC 313 preview
Green (32-16-1 MMA, 13-11-1 UFC) has traded wins and losses over his past few outings, and comes into this one following what he described as a “blooper” submission loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 304. In the fight prior, Green picked up a unanimous decision win over fellow grizzled veteran Jim Miller at UFC 300. … Ruffy (11-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) enters on a six-fight winning streak, and looks to maintain his undefeated run in the UFC. The Dana White’s Contender Series veteran stopped Jamie Mullarkey in his debut and followed that with a unanimous decision over James Llontop to go 2-0 in his debut year.
King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy UFC 313 expert pick, prediction
The paid portion of the card kicks off with a potential lightweight war between Green and Ruffy.
It’s nice to see the UFC matchmakers get back to Joe Silva’s tried and true method of opening main cards with lightweight fights.
In this case, Ruffy will look to make up for lost time and potentially raise his stock with a win over the always-fun Green.
A fighter with a criminally underrated style, Green has quietly been one of the best shoulder rollers in MMA (particularly in his prime). And if MMA judges were better about properly awarding clean counters and bodywork, then Green’s record could arguably look a bit different.
If this fight were a few years ago, I’d probably pick Green to give Rufft a veteran lesson by drawing out his shots and countering him in combination. But between Green’s suspect durability after his near-murder at the hands of Kerry Hatley to Ruffy’s power and proprioception, fans of the American may be in for a rough night.
Even though I not-so-secretly hope I’m wrong, the pick is Ruffy to break down Green with leg kicks and counters in order to force a stoppage in Round 2.
King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy UFC 313 odds
The oddsmakers and the public are heavily favoring the Brazilian fighter, listing Ruffy -500 and Green +360 via FanDuel.
King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy UFC 313 start time, how to watch
As the main card opener, Green and Ruffy are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 10:10 p.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.
Check out 10 top-of-the-resume fights featuring the stars of UFC 313, which goes down Saturday in Las Vegas.
Ahead of UFC 313, the promotion has put together a video primer featuring highlights of the card’s top stars.
In the headliner, light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) puts his title on the line against challenger [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] (20-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC). In the co-feature, [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) steps up on short notice for a rematch with former interim lightweight champ [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC).
In addition, [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] (14-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) and [autotag]King Green[/autotag] (32-16-1 MMA, 13-11-1 UFC) meets [autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), both at lightweight.
Check out the video above for 45 minutes’ worth of 10 classic fights from those standouts so you can see what they do best ahead of their bouts at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Mauricio Ruffy hopes UFC 313 propels him into the same high-ranking status as his teammates Caio Borralho, Carlos Prates, and Jean Silva.
LAS VEGAS – Fighting and soccer don’t overtly appear to go hand in hand, but to the Fighting Nerds’ [autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag], there is a correlation.
Ruffy (11-1 MMA, 2- UFC) is one of the promotion’s hottest rising lightweights. After just two fights, he creates buzz with each tweet and social media post. His swagger and flare are drawn from the stars of soccer.
“I take a lot from soccer,” Ruffy told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a news conference Wednesday. “I take a lot of inspiration, like the moves, the way that they have to do so stuff. Neymar has been a source of inspiration for me. I even have a particular move that I say, ‘That’s my Neymar move.’ I’ve done it in the UFC, too. I think the way that they move and the way they have to dodge things, the way that they have to make fast decisions, I think it inspires me. I see a lot in soccer and it brings back.”
At UFC 313 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena, Ruffy returns for his most high-profile fight to date as he takes on longtime divisional staple King Green on the pay-per-view main card. It’s a fight Ruffy explained he’s wanted for a long time.
“This is a fight I’ve actually called out before,” Ruffy said. “I’ve told people, I told the team, I wanted him for the second fight. Hey it didn’t come in the second. It’s coming in the third. Let’s get this job done. I’ve very ready for it and I’m very happy for the opportunity. … As soon as I got into the UFC, I started looking at the fights that would give me a title shot and I thought that’s a guy who has the experience. I figure a win against him could propel me up into new heights. I think it’s a fight that opens doors. Fighting him and beating him is a fight that gets me to another level.”
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The Fighting Nerds are red-hot right now, with Caio Borralho, Carlos Prates, and Jean Silva all making beelines toward future title challenger status. Ruffy said the vibe in the training room is infectious – something he hopes to catalyze even further with a win over an established name like Green (32-16-1 MMA, 13-11-1 UFC).
“We are all very grateful and very happy with the results,” Ruffy said. “We celebrate the wins. Everybody is together. I think all of us appreciate what the work of the team has yielded. We go back and see what (coach) Pablo (Sucupira) has done with the team, putting this together. This is the fruit of his work. We are very happy to be together. We’re happy to be part of the team. We’re happy to continue to go back and get more. As you can see, the results are happening. We’re happy with all the results for the work we’re putting in.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.
On the third episode of the UFC’s behind-the-scenes “Embedded” feature, Mauricio Ruffy tries out supercars for the first time.
The UFC stays in Las Vegas for UFC 313, its third pay-per-view of the calendar year, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.
UFC 313 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
In the headliner, light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) puts his title on the line against challenger [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] (20-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC). In the co-feature, [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) steps up on short notice for a rematch with former interim lightweight champ [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC).
The third episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:
Justin Gaethje trains at the UFC PI; Magomed Ankalaev has a striking session; Champ Alex Pereira tests his recovery with his physiotherapist; Maurico Ruffy races cars; Justin Gaethje hits golf balls with Megan Olivi; Rafael Fiziev runs into Chael Sonnen.
One of the toughest veterans in MMA will give a rising talent the chance to prove himself at UFC 313.
One of the toughest veterans in MMA will give a rising talent the chance to prove himself at UFC 313 when [autotag]King Green[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag].
Green and Ruffy have agreed to meet at the March 8 pay-per-view event from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking Monday night following an initial report from MMA Mania. The people requested anonymity since the UFC has yet to make an announcement.
Green (32-16-1 MMA, 13-11-1 UFC) tangled with a rising star in his most recent bout last year. In July, Green was submitted by Paddy Pimblett in the first round of their lightweight bout at UFC 304. Green, 38, has lost two of his past three bouts.
Ruffy (11-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) will be making just his third UFC appearance since earning a contract through Dana White’s Contender Series in October 2023. Ruffy, 28, beat Jamie Mullarkey with a flying knee and punches in his UFC debut and most recently claimed a unanimous decision against James Llontop last November.
No MMA team turned heads more than the Nerds over the past 12 months as they exploded into the UFC rankings with impactful wins spread across their professional team.
Led by coaches Pablo Sucupira, Flavio Alvaro and Wagner Mota, contenders emerged as [autotag]Caio Borralho[/autotag], [autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag], [autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag] and [autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag] all went undefeated and each displaying exciting fight abilities.
In addition to their elite fighting skills, Sucupira and his class have put forth A-grade branding and self-expression. The signature nerd glasses have become a staple of their fight nights and have even been worn by the likes of Elon Musk and Joe Rogan.
“When you think about a nerd guy, you always see a guy who wants to be the best in the classroom,” Borralho told MMA Junkie in August. “The nerd, if he’s going into a test and he took a B+, he would be upset. Like, ‘I wanted my A+.’ … We have a big message to inspire people. We’ve seen a lot of bully things happening in the world. A lot of this sh*t happening, it’s bully payback time.”
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Unofficially formed in 2014 and built from scratch by the coaching-student bond of Sucupira and Borralho, the team’s first UFC fight was Borralho in 2021. As he climbed the ranks and earned the gym its first UFC headliner in 2024, Prates and Silva flew up their divisional ladders.
In 2024, Borralho defeated Paul Craig and Jared Cannonier. Carlos Prates debuted with a huge knockout of Trevin Giles – foreshadowing of the knockouts of Charles Radtke, Li Jingliang and Neil Magny (in a main event) that came later.
Ruffy knocked out Jamie Mullarkey, then defeated James Llontop by decision. [autotag]Bruna Brasil[/autotag] and [autotag]Thiago Moises[/autotag] also picked up UFC victories.
For those reasons, The Fighting Nerds is MMA Junkie’s 2024 Gym of the Year.
Check out the names and records of each fighter who made their UFC debut in 2024.
Every year, the UFC welcomes new faces to the promotion.
Some will become ranked fighters, future title challengers, and possibly champions. A couple of names have already made a significant impact in their debut year.
Kayla Harrison, who is ranked No. 2 by the promotion in the women’s bantamweight division, is likely next up for a title shot. Carlos Prates claimed No. 14 in the welterweight division after ripping through four opponents.
On the flip side, unfortunately, some of the names will fizzle out and look to continue their careers in other promotions.
In 2024, the new names and faces reached triple digits, totaling 103. Those fighters went 46-57. Debuting fighters who faced an opponent with at least one bout of UFC experience went 29-39.
Check out the full list of debuting fighters and their records below:
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]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
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
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]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
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
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
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
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.
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.”
[autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag]: 7 days mandatory rest
