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Rafael Fiziev and Mauricio Ruffy meet on the UFC 325 main card Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Fiziev (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) aims to stay in the winner's column after returning there in June by picking up a unanimous decision over Ignacio Bahamondes. That result snapped a three-fight skid which included a TKO loss to Mateusz Gamrot and two decision losses to Justin Gaethje.
Ruffy (12-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) suffered his first UFC loss in September by tapping out to Benoit Saint Denis. Prior to that, Ruffy won his first three UFC outings, picking up bonus-winning stoppages of Jamie Mullarkey and King Green, along with a decision win over James Llontop.
Serving as a potential striker's delight is a lightweight matchup between Rafael Fiziev and Mauricio Ruffy.
Both fighters have slick and savvy striking styles that include flashy forms of defense to go along with their potent offense. That said, I suspect that Ruffy's more karate-boxing stylings may allow for more openings to both the body and legs, given the wider and sometimes more bladed stance that the Brazilian operates out of.
Ruffy has spent time training with Alexander Volkanovski and company over at Bangtao Muay Thai, so that could certainly help balance out his style. However, between the adjustment times usually needed for fighters and the possible non-permanent nature of Ruffy's move, it's hard to bank on the Fighting Nerds native being a drastically changed man from just one training camp.
Fiziev has been caught by things like spinning kicks before, but he's also beaten former world champs like Raphael dos Anjos and even arguably beat Justin Gaethje on short notice.
This fight should be fun and competitive, but I'll pick the more proven product in Fiziev to pull away with bodywork and leg kicks down the stretch for a decision win.
The oddsmakers and the public slightly favor the Brazilian fighter, listing Ruffy -128 and Fiziev +104 via FanDuel.
Fiziev and Ruffy are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 9:10 p.m. ET. The fight streams live on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 325: Rafael Fiziev vs. Mauricio Ruffy prediction, start time
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- Last event's results: 3-2
- UFC main cards, 2026: 3-2
Rafael Fiziev vs. Mauricio Ruffy UFC 325 preview
Fiziev (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) aims to stay in the winner's column after returning there in June by picking up a unanimous decision over Ignacio Bahamondes. That result snapped a three-fight skid which included a TKO loss to Mateusz Gamrot and two decision losses to Justin Gaethje.
Ruffy (12-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) suffered his first UFC loss in September by tapping out to Benoit Saint Denis. Prior to that, Ruffy won his first three UFC outings, picking up bonus-winning stoppages of Jamie Mullarkey and King Green, along with a decision win over James Llontop.
Rafael Fiziev vs. Mauricio Ruffy UFC 325 expert pick, prediction
Serving as a potential striker's delight is a lightweight matchup between Rafael Fiziev and Mauricio Ruffy.
Both fighters have slick and savvy striking styles that include flashy forms of defense to go along with their potent offense. That said, I suspect that Ruffy's more karate-boxing stylings may allow for more openings to both the body and legs, given the wider and sometimes more bladed stance that the Brazilian operates out of.
Ruffy has spent time training with Alexander Volkanovski and company over at Bangtao Muay Thai, so that could certainly help balance out his style. However, between the adjustment times usually needed for fighters and the possible non-permanent nature of Ruffy's move, it's hard to bank on the Fighting Nerds native being a drastically changed man from just one training camp.
Fiziev has been caught by things like spinning kicks before, but he's also beaten former world champs like Raphael dos Anjos and even arguably beat Justin Gaethje on short notice.
This fight should be fun and competitive, but I'll pick the more proven product in Fiziev to pull away with bodywork and leg kicks down the stretch for a decision win.
Rafael Fiziev vs. Mauricio Ruffy UFC 325 odds
The oddsmakers and the public slightly favor the Brazilian fighter, listing Ruffy -128 and Fiziev +104 via FanDuel.
Rafael Fiziev vs. Mauricio Ruffy UFC 325 start time, how to watch
Fiziev and Ruffy are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 9:10 p.m. ET. The fight streams live on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 325: Rafael Fiziev vs. Mauricio Ruffy prediction, start time
Continue reading...
