\u201cOne Shot\u201d wasn\u2019t anywhere near 100 percent.<\/p>\n
Rising Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight contender Mauricio Ruffy delivered one of the most impressive performances of UFC 325<\/a> last night (Sat., Jan. 26, 2026), knocking out Rafael Fiziev in the featured bout inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (watch highlights<\/a>).<\/p>\n What makes the win even more remarkable? According to those closest to him, it\u2019s a small miracle he competed at all.<\/p>\n UFC Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who trained alongside Ruffy throughout camp, revealed during the UFC 325 post-fight press conference that the Brazilian was dealing with severe health issues all week.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll tell you something\u2026 we\u2019re lucky he even turned up this week, if you knew half the stuff he went through,\u201d Volkanovski told reporters. \u201cHe had legit Influenza A at the start of the week \u2014 crazy fevers. I didn\u2019t even think he\u2019d be able to make the weight cut, so we had to mentally get him through that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then he even had big troubles today and couldn\u2019t move,\u201d Volkanovski continued. \u201cBut we told him he had to mentally get himself in there. He got himself around it and went out and did what he does against someone like Rafa. Incredible, man. A lot of respect for him to even turn up tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Between the flu, debilitating fevers, and mobility issues just hours before fight time, Ruffy entered UFC 325 under brutal circumstances \u2014 all while carrying immense pressure<\/a> after suffering his first UFC loss, a lopsided defeat to Benoit Saint-Denis (watch highlights<\/a>).<\/p>\n Instead of folding, Ruffy embodied a phrase Volkanovski often lives by: adversity is a privilege.<\/p>\n The Brazilian looked sharp, confident, and dangerous, instantly restoring the hype he carried prior to that setback. With the victory, Ruffy is expected to leap into the Lightweight Top 10<\/a> \u2014 likely claiming Fiziev\u2019s No. 9 ranking when the updated standings are released.<\/p>\n That sets him up for a major opportunity in his next outing \u2014 though it probably won\u2019t be the Paddy Pimblett fight he called for.<\/p>\n