Mauricio Ruffy faces Michael Chandler at UFC White House event

Mauricio Ruffy scored a cold-blooded knockout of Michael Chandler before delivering a warm-hearted marriage proposal on the South Lawn.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: (L-R) Mauricio Ruffy of Brazil strikes Michael Chandler in a lightweight fight during the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn at the White House on June 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Mauricio Ruffy was the biggest favorite on the UFC White House card and he showed why after running through Michael Chandler in the first round. From the start, Ruffay was just chipping away at Chandler, who struggled to find his way inside and couldn’t time his takedowns to potentially slow down the Brazilian. After clipping Chandler with a spinning heel kick earlier, Ruffy unloaded another that landed just behind the ear. With Chandler rocked, Ruffy just unloaded punches including a brutal uppercut that flatted the former Bellator champion to end the fight. The official stoppage came at 4:29 in the first round. MAURICIO RUFFY IS OFFICIALLY A PROBLEM! He knocks out Michael Chandler in R1 at #UFCWhiteHouse! [ LIVE ON @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/ONpOS7yZ0L — UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) June 15, 2026 “Amazing. I’m so happy,” Ruffy said after the win. “I’m very happy with this performance, very happy with this win. Thank for the UFC. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for [Alexander Volkanovski] for training with me. “I want to be the champion at this division. I do believe I am next up for the title shot.” A lot of frantic movement from Chandler early as he danced on the outside while trying to find an opening to close the distance on the taller, longer Ruffy. A stiff jab from Ruffy clipped Chandler in the next exchange as the Brazilian stayed patient with his attacks. Ruffy unleashed a spinning back kick to the body but Chandler absorbed the damage well and reset by trying to throw a Superman punch off the cage. From there, Ruffy stung Chandler with a nasty straight right hand and he followed with a spinning heel kick to the head. Chandler was rocked and Ruffy stayed on the attack with a variety of strikes that were continuously landing including a brutal body shot. Ruffy unloaded another spinning heel kick that clipped Chandler and he just kept dishing out punishment. With Chandler down, Ruffy uncorked another hellacious uppercut that demolished the former lightweight title challenger and that was all she wrote. After back-to-back knockouts over Chandler and Rafael Fiziev, Ruffy is undoubtedly right back in the title mix at lightweight and this performance continued to prove he’s one of the most dangerous fighters in the world at 155 pounds. As for Chandler, he falls to 2-6 in the UFC and it’s tough to predict what exactly awaits him in the future following his fourth loss in a row overall.

Mauricio Ruffy just ran through Michael Chandler at UFC White House on Sunday

Former lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler made the walk from the Oval Office to the octagon on The White House lawn on Sunday desperately in need of a win. He had lost three fights in a row and five of his last six. The 40 year-old faced No. 9 ranked Mauricio Ruffy. Ruffy entered the ...

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 13: (L-R) Mauricio Ruffy and Michael Chandler face off during the UFC Freedom 250 ceremonial weigh-in at The Ellipse on June 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC) This is the UFC White House live blog for Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler, the main card lightweight bout Sunday at the White House in Washington, D.C. Ruffy (13-2) is currently No. 10 at 155 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings. His tricky striking style has earned him three knockouts in his four UFC wins, including one of the best of 2026 when he floored veteran King Green with a spinning wheel kick. In his most recent outing at UFC 325, he put Rafael Fiziev away via strikes in the second round. This could be a do-or-die fight for the always enthusiastic Chandler (23-10). The former Bellator star has lost three straight fights and five of his past six, with his most recent loss being a one-sided drubbing at the hands of Paddy Pimblett. Chandler had long pursued a bout with Conor McGregor, but he’ll have to settle for Ruffy, whose standup style has frequently been compared to McGregor’s. Check out the UFC White House live blog for Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler below. Preamble UFC White House is on fire with two violent knockouts to get things going, and this one should be fun. Chandler always delivers entertainment but has his back against the wall as he meets Brazil’s flashy knockout artist Ruffy. Can he drown Ruffy in deep waters as promised, or will Ruffy show he’s the real deal? It's their time 😎@RuffyMMA vs @MikeChandlerMMA [ B2YB: @Cryptocom ] pic.twitter.com/1fV0KlSVif — UFC (@ufc) June 15, 2026 Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Official Decision Post-Fight

Mauricio Ruffy and Michael Chandler face off at UFC White House