Mauricio Ruffy’s skills have Benoit Saint-Denis’s former foe very concerned ahead of UFC Paris.
Benoit Saint-Denis, one of the most dangerous lightweight KO artists in the UFC lightweight division, will face a thrilling test against Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Paris. The two lightweight contenders feature on a stacked card in Paris, headlined by a high-stakes middleweight bout.
Saint-Denis rebounded from two KO losses with an emphatic performance at UFC 315 earlier this year, albeit against a short-notice replacement opponent. Saint-Denis will look to have a better outing this time around in Paris after a TKO loss in his last Octagon appearance in his home country.
Before his recent up-and-down run, Saint-Denis was praised as a potential future champion due to his brutal power and ferocity. Those labels are now fitting for his upcoming rival, Ruffy, ahead of Paris.
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Renato Moicano has little faith in Benoit Saint-Denis ahead of Mauricio Ruffy fight
Ruffy, who is riding a seven-fight winning streak and fresh off a wild knockout win over Bobby Green at UFC 313, is knocking on the door of lightweight title contention. But on the other side, it’s a massive opportunity for Saint-Denis to get back in the title picture and stop Ruffy’s rise.
Despite what’s at stake, one of Saint-Denis’s former rivals doesn’t fancy his odds.
In a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, UFC lightweight contender Renato Moicano shared a grim prediction for Saint-Denis’s upcoming fight with Ruffy.
“I don’t think that card is on the table, I don’t think Ruffy is losing to BSD,” Moicano said.
“No chance. I think [Ruffy] will knock BSD out in the first round. I think Ruffy, he is the future of the lightweight division, he’s pretty good. I know he wasn’t tested, but because a lot of stuff was going on.
“Bobby Green isn’t an easy guy to knock out like that, and he did it in the first round. Of course, Bobby Green is a little bit older right now, but I think Ruffy is the real deal.”
Moicano has plenty of reasons to feel supremely confident in Ruffy ahead of UFC Paris. Ruffy is one of several Dana White’s Contender Series alums to make a quick impact on the UFC roster.
Saint-Denis’s second-round submission of Kyle Prepolec at UFC 315 showed a unique angle to the Frenchman’s skill set that Ruffy hasn’t faced thus far in his UFC tenure. He has the opportunity to stop Ruffy’s Conor McGregor-esque rise with authority.
Mauricio Ruffy is living up to Conor McGregor comparisons with UFC rise
Ruffy’s striking technique, stances, and back tattoos have prompted some to compare the talented Brazilian to McGregor. Similar to the start of McGregor’s UFC career, Ruffy began his UFC tenure on a wild knockout streak, finishing Jamie Mullarkey and Raimond Magomedaliev.
Despite the links between Ruffy and McGregor, their fighting activity in recent years couldn’t be more different. McGregor hasn’t fought since injuring his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, but is teasing a comeback next summer.
Ruffy promised to get ‘revenge’ for McGregor in promising to knock out Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s understudy, Islam Makhachev, in a potential fight. McGregor and Nurmagomedov share one of the UFC’s darkest feuds that continues years after their UFC 229 fight.
While the McGregor comparisons might be premature, Ruffy’s talent isn’t debatable, and he’ll look to continue his hot streak at the expense of Saint-Denis.