Ruffy Opens Up on Barber Who 'Healed' Wife Before UFC 331

Mauricio Ruffy says a barber who showed up at his house and claimed God sent him to heal his wife's fertility problems set off the chain of events that turned him from a broke, injury-wrecked fighter into a UFC lightweight contender heading into UFC 331.

Ruffy shared the story in a conversation with Full Violence, describing a period when he and his wife could not conceive and he was living hotel to hotel while his body broke down fight after fight. He said a barber he had hired to cut his hair arrived at his home and told him, "God brought me here to heal her," before adding, "She doesn't have a pregnancy problem?" Ruffy called it an encounter nobody outside his marriage could have known about, saying, "It was a very intimate thing. Just me and her knew about it."

What Ruffy Says Changed Before His UFC Run

Ruffy's account ties his personal turnaround directly to his fighting career. He has said that before that meeting, repeated injuries during fights left him needing surgery after surgery, to the point he grew tired of the pain and prayed for his life to end. In his telling, the barber pressed him on the gap between his talent and his results, asking, "What are you so good at but you are not successful?" before telling him a child was coming. Ruffy says his wife became pregnant ten days later, and the couple had two children within a year.

Whatever a fan makes of the story, the career results are real. Ruffy carries a 14-2 professional record into UFC 331, where he meets Arman Tsarukyan in the lightweight co-main event Saturday, September 19, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. He has trained camp alongside Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski preparing for the matchup, and a win over Tsarukyan, ranked No. 7 among UFC lightweights, would put Ruffy firmly in title contention.

Betting Angle

The market has Tsarukyan as a clear favorite, with UFC's own numbers showing him around -305 to Ruffy's +240. That price reflects Tsarukyan's wrestling pedigree and his recent run near the top of a stacked 155-pound division, and it makes sense on paper against a fighter still just three fights into his UFC tenure. But Ruffy has built his short UFC run on finishing power and unpredictable striking, and live dogs in that range are worth a second look when the underdog carries real knockout equity. Betting Ruffy here means betting his hands solve a wrestler before Tsarukyan's grappling takes over the later rounds, a live but far from safe proposition at this price.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Mauricio Ruffy fighting at UFC 331?

Mauricio Ruffy faces Arman Tsarukyan in the lightweight co-main event of UFC 331 on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

What did Mauricio Ruffy say about the barber who visited his home?

Ruffy said a barber came to his house and told him God had sent him to heal his wife's inability to get pregnant, and that ten days later his wife became pregnant.

What is Mauricio Ruffy's UFC record?

Mauricio Ruffy enters UFC 331 with a 14-2 professional record and is ranked among the UFC's top lightweight contenders.