Highly touted lightweight prospect Mauricio Ruffy has a new foe to prepare for weeks out from the UFC 309 pay-per-view in New York City.
After earning a contract on Dana White's Contender Series last year, Ruffy announced himself as one of the most promising up-and-comers at 155 pounds when he debuted in style this past May.
At UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, "One Shot" unloaded his arsenal on Jamie Mullarkey before utilizing a flying knee to set up a first-round knockout. The result left the Fighting Nerds standout riding a streak of five consecutive finishes with strikes.
Ruffy will look to keep his ball rolling at next month's UFC 309 event, but not at the expense of the man he was originally lined up to face.
The Brazilian was added to the card in a matchup against Charlie Campbell, who has won both of his UFC fights to date. The American, however, was forced to withdraw, marking the latest issue in booking Ruffy's return. He'd previously had plans for outings at UFC 303 and UFC 307 fall through.
Thankfully, the promotion has been able to secure a replacement opponent for the 28-year-old.
Following the collapse of the Campbell matchup, Ruffy is now set to share the cage with James Llontop at UFC 309. The short-notice lightweight bout was first reported by Te La Canté MMA and later confirmed by Eurosport Nederland's Marcel Dorff.
Peru's Llontop has lost both of his UFC fights since a victory on DWCS in 2023, most recently falling on the wrong side of a split decision verdict opposite Viacheslav Borshchev in August.
With this addition, the current fights expected to take place at UFC 309 on Nov. 16 are as follows:
Main Card:
- Heavyweight Championship Main Event: Jon Jones (C) vs. Stipe Miocic
- Lightweight Co-Main Event: Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler
- Women’s Flyweight: Viviane Araújo vs. Karine Silva
- Middleweight: Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig
- Middleweight: Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman
Preliminary Card:
- Lightweight: Mauricio Ruffy vs. James llontop
- Light Heavyweight: Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov
- Bantamweight: Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
- Lightweight: Jim Miller vs. Damon Jackson
Early Preliminary Card:
- Welterweight: Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj
- Welterweight: Bassil Hafez vs. Oban Elliott
- Women’s Flyweight: Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura