Jon Anik thinks one UFC fighter has serious potential to become breakout star

By Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 14, 2025

One rising UFC lightweight has caught the attention of Jon Anik.

Jon Anik

Anik is the current play-by-play ace for the UFC. He has seen his share of highly touted prospects come and go in the sport of MMA. A lot of them don’t last beyond the initial hype.

With that said, there is one surging 155-pounder who Anik believes could be in it for the long haul.

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Mauricio Ruffy Has Jon Anik’s Attention

During an interview with Bloody Elbow, Jon Anik said there is one UFC fighter who he believes has serious potential.

“I will say, Mauricio Ruffy (has the highest ceiling from that team). So, Pablo Sucupira is the head coach of the Fighting Nerds, and you have a lot of these head coaches like Morne Visser and they’re able to extract incredible things out of their athletes.

“But if you’re just peeling back the athlete, right, in terms of just the god given gifts… Mauricio Ruffy is a sight to behold, bro. I don’t recall reacting to a knockout ever like that, holding an ‘OH’ as long as I did this weekend,” Anik continued.

Ruffy recently competed on the UFC 313 card in Las Vegas. He was in the opening fight on the event’s main card. Ruffy knocked out King Green in the first round with a spinning wheel kick. “One Shot” is riding a six-fight winning streak. He is undefeated under the UFC banner, and his lone pro MMA loss was back in 2019.

This June, Ruffy will turn 29 years old. Some believe that it’s the perfect window for the Fighting Nerds standout to ascend to the top of the lightweight division. Just how far he can go remains to be seen, but Anik will be keeping a close eye on the rising contender.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

Jon Anik Mauricio Ruffy UFC