Brazilian UFC lightweight Mauricio Ruffy has shared details of his preparation for a fight against Azerbaijani fighter Rafael Fiziev, which is set to take place at UFC 325 in Sydney, Australia, on January 31, 2026, Idman.Biz reports.
According to Ruffy, he started working in advance and spent part of his training camp in Thailand, where he trained at the Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA gym. There, he worked alongside Alexander Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya.
Speaking to Ag Fight, Ruffy said he expected a tough opponent, but was pleasantly surprised when he learned that he would be facing a top-ranked fighter in the division. He noted that the UFC had promised him a "big fight", and he is fully satisfied with the matchup he received.
The Brazilian also spoke about the high intensity of his preparation, emphasizing that some training sessions lasted around four hours and included striking work, sparring, as well as long periods of grappling and positional training.
The next stage of his camp will take place in Brazil, where Ruffy trains daily with the Fighting Nerds team under the guidance of Pablo Sussupira. Approximately four weeks before the fight, he plans to travel to Australia, where he and his coach will complete the camp and fine-tune tactical details ahead of the bout.
It should be recalled that Rafael Fiziev was scheduled to fight fellow Brazilian Charles Oliveira on October 11 this year at a UFC event in Rio de Janeiro, but the bout was canceled due to a knee injury suffered by the Azerbaijani fighter.
