Mauricio Ruffy just had one hell of a debut at UFC 301.
On Saturday night at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Ruffy faced Jamie Mullarkey in a preliminary lightweight bout, and “One Shot” didn’t quite live up to his nickname, but he did show out, bludgeoning Mullarkey around the cage en route to a first-round stoppage.
Ruffy looked good early, lighting Mullarkey up with his dynamic striking attack and earning comparisons to a young Conor McGregor from the commentary team. A pair of nasty right hands stung Mullarkey near the end of the round and then the onslaught truly began with a flying knee and a series of punches the finally crumbled with just 18 seconds left in the round.
The win moves the 30-year-old Ruffy to 10-1 in his MMA career, and following the victory he sent a warning to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, telling the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world that a new king was coming for him.
Check out Ruffy’s highlight reel finish below.