TLDR Coach Anderson Franca believes Arman Tsarukyan is Mauricio Ruffy’s ‘worst stylistic matchup’ ahead of UFC 331 Tsarukyan brought in K-1 veteran Giorgio Petrosyan to simulate Ruffy’s elite striking during training camp Franca rates the fight 60-40 in Tsarukyan’s favor despite calling Ruffy the best striker at 155 pounds Tsarukyan plans to defend the lightweight title at least five times to break Islam Makhachev’s UFC record Islam Makhachev encouraged Tsarukyan after beating him in 2019, saying ‘everything’s ahead of you’ Arman Tsarukyan poses the toughest stylistic challenge Mauricio Ruffy has faced in his UFC career, according to the Armenian fighter’s striking coach. Anderson Franca made the assessment ahead of their co-main event bout at UFC 331 on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Franca, who works at American Top Team, told Sherdog that Tsarukyan brought in K-1 veteran Giorgio Petrosyan specifically to prepare for the matchup. The coach called Ruffy the best striker at 155 pounds but believes Tsarukyan’s style creates major problems for the Brazilian.
“Arman has to be extremely focused because you can’t make mistakes against Ruffy,” Franca said. “On the other...