{"id":40134,"date":"2026-08-27T05:59:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T05:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/news\/news\/Alexander-Volkanovski-struggles-to-keep-Mauricio-Ruffy-down-coach-says-202558"},"modified":"2026-08-27T05:59:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T05:59:01","slug":"alexander-volkanovski-struggles-to-keep-mauricio-ruffy-down-coach-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.martialartskleinanzeigen.com\/videos\/alexander-volkanovski-struggles-to-keep-mauricio-ruffy-down-coach-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Alexander Volkanovski struggles to keep Mauricio Ruffy down, coach says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Joe Lopez has seen major improvements in Mauricio
\nRuffy<\/a>‘s grappling since the Brazilian joined Alexander
\nVolkanovski<\/a>‘s team.<\/p>\n

Ruffy is preparing for the biggest test of his
\nUltimate Fighting Championship<\/a> career when he faces Arman
\nTsarukyan<\/a> in the co-main event of UFC
\n331<\/a> on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles. Tsarukyan’s wrestling prowess
\nis a key factor in the matchup, but Lopez believes his fighter has
\nmade significant strides in that area.<\/p>\n

\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mauricio Ruffy\u2019s defensive wrestling improves ahead of Arman
\nTsarukyan fight at UFC 331<\/h2>\n

Ruffy made the move from the Brazilian gym
\nFighting Nerds<\/a> after losing to Benoit St.
\nDenis<\/a> in September 2025, joining Volkanovski\u2019s team in
\nAustralia. Speaking to Submission Radio, Volkanovski\u2019s head coach
\nLopez said Ruffy’s development has been particularly noticeable in
\ndefensive wrestling and his ability to escape dangerous
\npositions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it\u2019s just chalk and cheese,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cYou can just see
\nhow he\u2019s improving, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ruffy has since earned victories against Rafael
\nFiziev<\/a> and Michael
\nChandler<\/a>, finishing both lightweights. Lopez claims that even
\nVolkanovski struggles to keep Ruffy down in the gym. He added that
\nthe Brazilian has improved his positioning while defending
\ntakedowns and prioritizes keeping the fight on the feet rather than
\nchasing submissions.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor this fight here, that\u2019s one of our specialties is our
\ndefensive wrestling and our scrambles and not accepting the
\nposition,\u201d Lopez added. \u201cHonestly, he\u2019s picking it up. When he
\nfirst came, he was still really stuck in his jiu-jitsu type thing
\nwhere he attached himself to the person. Now, he\u2019s not. He\u2019s
\ntraining his escapes, getting out, putting his body in the right
\nposition, putting his hands in the right position.\u201d<\/p>\n