UFC lightweight contender Mauricio Ruffy says that he is the backup fighter for the UFC Freedom 250 main event lightweight title fight.
Ruffy is set to battle Michael Chandler in a lightweight bout earlier on the card. Since it’s a non-title lightweight fight, Ruffy is allowed to weigh in at 156 lbs, if he chooses.
But he says he is going to weigh in at 155 lbs, which is championship weight, just in case anything happens to either UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria or interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, who are set to clash in the headliner of the UFC White House card.
Mauricio Ruffy Says He Has Talked to UFC About Backup Role
Speaking to reporters in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday during UFC Freedom 250 media day, Ruffy confirmed he plans to make 155 lbs on the dot, so he can be the backup fighter for Topuria vs. Gaethje in the event something happens to either man.
“I am 100% dedicated to this and I will be ready to fight for a championship. As the talks that I’ve had with the UFC and the talks that my team has had have led us to believe from recent conversations, and I’m just gonna say to you guys, on Saturday, I’m gonna be making championship weight in case the UFC needs me and something happens, I’ll be making championship weight… I will be ready to fight for a title,” Ruffy said (via Bloody Elbow).
The UFC has not confirmed yet if this is the official plan, but it does make sense to have a backup on this card just in case something happens to either headliner, as UFC Freedom 250 is simply too big a card to have the main event fall off at the last minute without a replacement.
Arman Tsarukyan Was Backup, but Posssibly Not Anymore
Originally, the plan was for Arman Tsarukyan, the No. 2-ranked UFC lightweight, to be the backup fighter for this main event title fight at UFC Freedom 250. UFC president Dana White even confirmed that as a fact.
However, Tsarukyan is set to wrestle Tony Ferguson at RAF 10 the day before the UFC White House card, so it would be very difficult for him to get to Washington, D.C., to fight for the belt the next day.
Clearly, Tsarukyan must be getting paid a lot of money to wrestle for the RAF, because otherwise, it’s surprising that he would decline the backup title fight spot for UFC Freedom 250.
Perhaps Tsarukyan thinks that he already has the next lightweight title shot wrapped up, so he doesn’t need to take the risk of being the backup, making weight, and not getting a chance to fight, or being the backup and getting the fight, only to be unprepared since it was short notice.
For Ruffy, though, it’s a no-brainer to accept the backup title fight spot since he is already on the UFC Freedom 250 card.
The hope is that both Topuria and Gaethje make weight and make it to the fight healthy, so any talk of a backup goes away.
But in the event a backup is needed, Ruffy will be there to save the day.
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