Jean Silva reveals rift with former Fighting Nerds teammate Mauricio Ruffy

[ASFN Admin]

You must be registered for see images attach

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Jean Silva has confirmed that he and Mauricio Ruffy have gone through an acrimonious split following Ruffy’s decision to switch teams.

Silva and Ruffy both came up through the Fighting Nerds team, which is also home to Caio Borralho and Carlos Prates. Both made strong starts to 2025, with Silva stopping Arnold Allen at UFC 324 and Ruffy knocking out Rafael Fiziev at UFC 325.

There were already signs of tension before then, including Silva unfollowing Ruffy on Instagram ahead of his fight. Now, he’s opened up about what happened between them but still had good things to say about his former teammate.

Jean Silva opens up about fallout with Mauricio Ruffy​

You must be registered for see images attach

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Silva has since addressed the issue publicly following his win over Allen, speaking with Laerne Viana to clarify what went on between the two fighters.

“Look, I think there’s a lot to explain,” he said in Portuguese (translated automatically by YouTube). “I think it’s like, Ruffy is over there, me over here, it’s internal stuff. I’m not going to be the one to expose anything.”

“What I can say is that I want distance from him, and I hope he wants the same too. If he says he doesn’t, that he loves me, that’s fine. I hope it’s genuine.”

Jean Silva encourages Mauricio Ruffy to ‘get some help’​

When told by the reporter that Ruffy had been nothing but complimentary in a previous interview and even suggested they train together again, Silva was clear: “It’s over. Over.

“I wish Ruffy the best, I genuinely want him to win, the kid has an absurd star quality. He has some internal issues he needs to resolve, I hope he seeks help. Not only him, but many other athletes just like me.

“I see a psychiatrist every week, so I hope he looks for people, keeps living his life and does well. But Jean and Ruffy don’t exist any more. Straight up, it only existed in my head.”

Read more:

• Jon Jones reveals ‘severe arthritis’ and says he now qualifies for a hip replacement
• UFC legend added to card alongside Arman Tsarukyan and former champions
• Max Holloway details what’s changed as he heads into UFC 326 feeling better than ever

Continue reading...