The first fight of the card at UFC 313 will feature a lightweight bout between Mauricio Ruffy and King Green. The common thing about both athletes is that they’re not in the lightweight top 15 yet. The other common thing between them is that both fighters sport a vast array of body art.
“If I don’t trust myself, who will?” is what Mauricio Ruffy told MMA fighting. Words from a man who has seen quite a bit of adversity in life. In this article, we’ll take look at the body art of the lightweight from team Fighting Nerds, and the meaning behind some of those pieces that reflect his fight journey. So without further ado, let’s get right into it.
Meaning Behind Mauricio Ruffy’s Tattoos
At first glance, whenever we see him shirtless and fighting inside the cage, the huge tattoo right on his chest is the most visible one. The tattoo of of his name and below his name—in large cursive characters—are two specific words.
However, these words are somewhat of to fans as they’ve tried to decipher what it means on social media. Some fans thinking that it says “three strokes”, or “true striker”, while others claim that it is phrase related from the famous series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
One thing I’m not a fan of is not being able to read someone’s tattoos. What the ferk has Mauricio Ruffy got on his chest? #UFC301
— Pep (@UglyKidPep) May 5, 2024
According to some Reddit users, the tattoo says “Three Stakes”. This refers to the three slayers in the aforementioned TV show; Buffy, Kendra, and Faith. If it is indeed “Three Stakes”, then it probably means Ruffy (whose name rhymes with ‘Buffy’, depending on how you pronounce it) is the proverbial slayer while his opponents are vampires who he’s hunting. If it says “Three Strikes”, does it mean ‘One Shot’ gives himself three chances to finish his opponent in a fight? We’re not really sure at this point. On that note, let’s look at his other tattoos.
What does Mauricio Ruffy’s sleeve tattoo have?
Ruffy’s life took a 360-degree turn when he came across a Chinese millionaire who wanted to hire him as his bodyguard. That was the first time he ever boarded a flight and visited a foreign land. But MMA was always his main goal. “I wanted to be like Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ (Rua),” Ruffy said. “I decided to leave my hometown to go to Sao Paulo and become a professional fighter, but it wasn’t easy,” he said to MMA Fighting.
Now he’s finally fulfilling his dream in the UFC. He has a huge chest piece, a whole sleeve tattoo, and a huge tattoo on his back. The tattoo on his back is a hyperrealistic skull. It seems he prefers his tattoos to be 3-D and realistic. When it comes to his sleeve tattoo, he has the tattoo of a Mystic woman on his bicep and the face of an elephant below it. Ruffy also seems to have an affinity for skeletons because he has a huge skull with a crown and a pocket watch tattooed on his forearm. He also has a tattoo on the outside of his forearm, but what it exactly is, is still a mystery to us.
What do you think of Mauricio Ruffy’s tattoos? Do you think UFC 313 will see ‘One Shot’ win and add another victory to his resume? Share your thoughts below.
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