Mauricio Ruffy has been named the official backup fighter for the UFC 329 main event between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway on July 11th in Las Vegas.
Ruffy will weigh in for the headliner and is on standby in case of a late withdrawal by either main event fighter. He said the UFC contacted him while he was on vacation and asked him to stay ready for the card.
"Tomorrow Monday I will be traveling to Las Vegas," Ruffy said, adding, "If you need me, I’ll be ready!" He explained how his preparation never stopped: "I took good care of myself, these guys made me train halfway through my vacation,".
Ruffy also spoke about the potential matchups awaiting him if he’s called into action. "Me against Conor McGregor, I believe it would be a very good fight. I believe a fight I would make easier by the fact of rhythm and everything else, right?" he said. On Holloway, Ruffy added, "And against Max Holloway, I believe in my knockout power. He’s a guy that doesn’t seek to play forward there all the time, but I go there to define the fights and I don’t miss my chances. It would be really cool to see this fight happen."
Ruffy previously fought Michael Chandler on the UFC White House card last month. McGregor withdrew from UFC 303 in June 2024 due to a broken pinky toe.
