Arman Tsarukyan's wrestling edge is suddenly under pressure ahead of UFC 331. Mauricio Ruffy, who co-headlines the card on September 19, now arrives in Los Angeles with a markedly improved defensive wrestling profile after moving his preparation to Australia.
Ruffy switched training camps after a brutal loss to Benoit Saint-Denis in September 2025, relocating to the Freestyle MMA Performance Centre to work with Alexander Volkanovski and others. The change has coincided with back-to-back TKO wins over Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler in 2026, results that complicate the simple narrative that Ruffy remains vulnerable on the mat.
The head coach at Ruffy's new gym, Joe Lopez, tells Submission Radio that the Brazilian's scrambling and escape work have become a team strength. Lopez said, "Well, it’s just chalk and cheese. You can just see how he’s improving, you know? For this fight here, that’s one of our specialties is our defensive wrestling and our scrambles and not accepting the position." He added, "Honestly, he’s picking it up," and described how Ruffy has shifted away from clinging to jiu-jitsu grips, "training his escapes, getting out, putting his body in the right position, putting his hands in the right position."
Lopez emphasised the role of repeated live resistance in sparring, naming Frank Hickman, Alex Volkanovski, and Brad Riddell as constant partners who have tested Ruffy's ability to return to his feet. "Having Frank (Hickman), Alex (Volkanovski), and Brad Riddell there constantly trying to take him down and him getting back up, I can just see how hard it is for those boys now to hold him down," he said.
Tsarukyan arrives with his own momentum. The Armenian has ventured through a dozen matches away from the Octagon since submitting Dan Hooker in his last UFC outing nine months ago, and only Colby Covington managed to best him during that string of contests. For many observers, Tsarukyan's wrestling is the clearest route to victory, which is why Ruffy's improvements matter so much.
The fight now presents a tactical crossroads. If Ruffy can neutralise takedowns and scramble effectively, he turns Tsarukyan's primary weapon into a dead end and forces the lightweight contender to adapt. If Tsarukyan still imposes his wrestling, he keeps the fight in the domain where he has historically controlled outcomes. Both men carry tangible stakes into UFC 331, and the result will shape immediate expectations for each fighter's next steps.
