Mauricio Ruffy reveals Knockout of the Year contender was inspired by soccer legend

UFC star Mauricio Ruffy has revealed that his Knockout of the Year contender was inspired by a Brazilian football legend.

Last weekend, Mauricio Ruffy produced arguably the best performance of his career. He knocked King Green out cold with a nasty spinning wheel kick, cementing himself as a top contender in the process. Ever since then, fans have been calling it a Knockout of the Year contender.

RELATED: Pros react after Mauricio Ruffy KO’s King Green at UFC 313

While we may only be in March, they may well have a point. He’s already been doing some great things throughout the course of his mixed martial arts career and now, he’s added quite a substantial name to his resume.

In a recent interview, Ruffy revealed that his inspiration for the kick actually comes from Brazilian football/soccer legend Neymar.

Ruffy’s Neymar inspiration

“You had the feint there, the added bonus with the feint. I like to say that Neymar helped me out with that one, that was the ‘Neymar Feint, ‘” Ruffy said. “He helped me get that guy because it was his feint…I don’t watch much soccer, but I like to watch the moves because I think he’s a very skillful player.

“There’s a moment in the fight that I see myself as a skillful guy, a guy that has to bring skills. I use a lot of skill and what I see Neymar do a lot is a dribble, over a dribble, a double move/compound.

“What I wanted to do was the same thing, a feint over a feint,” Ruffy continued. “I threatened him with the cross, went with the overhand and followed it up with a kick. Feint over feint…and that’s Neymar, that’s why I call it the ‘Neymar Feint.”

Quotes via Bloody Elbow

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