Written by NEW YORK – Benoit Saint-Denis is whom Mauricio Ruffy 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.