One of the most iconic lines when Monkey D. Luffy activated Gear 5 came during his battle against Kaido on Onigashima. As his heartbeat awakened the true nature of his Devil Fruit and his body transformed with newfound freedom and power, Luffy declared with a wide grin: “This is the pinnacle of what I can do!! This is… Gear 5!!!” It is safe to say that MMA fans got to witness something similar at UFC 313 when Mauricio Ruffy and the man who tweeked his name after the One Piece protagonist scored a vicious KO win over King Green. The Brazilian has arrived — and he’s made sure the UFC world knows it!

Before UFC 313 last Saturday, few had heard his name. Now, he’s the fighter everyone’s talking about. The surging 155fer landed a stunning spinning wheel kick that connected flush with King Green’s temple. This ended the fight in the very first round and left the lightweight veteran unconscious. Ruffy’s electrifying performance didn’t just impress fans — it caught the attention of one of MMA’s sharpest minds. Javier Mendez, the renowned coach behind reigning lightweight champ Islam Makhachev and former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, was full of praise for the rising star.

The AKA head honcho hailed Ruffy as a serious threat in the already talent-packed lightweight division, declaring him one of the fighters to keep a close eye on moving forward. “That was a quick one, but it was very nice to see them trying to figure each other out. Bobby really couldn’t get nothing going on this guy, and this guy was setting him up setting him up, and then how he feinted that left hand to come in with that spinning wheel kick was beautifully set up. I mean, that was, hey man, watch out for this guy. This guy’s a serious dude, you know,” Mendez said on his official YouTube channel.

“And, you know, we’re going to see more of this guy because you don’t do that to Bobby Green. That’s not just a normal fighter, that’s a world-class, elite fighter he did this to, and you can’t do that to a guy that level like that. So this guy is the real deal, he’s somebody everybody should watch,” Mendez added.

And among those who should watch out for Mauricio Ruffy is Mendez’s student, Islam Makhachev, whom the Brazilian has put on notice.

Mauricio Ruffy sends a fearless message to Islam Makhachev after UFC 313

A win over King Green is the first step in a long journey for Mauricio Ruffy. Since Green is unranked at the moment, Ruffy hasn’t found himself in the top fifteen yet. However, as Mendez pointed out, the Brazilian has made a statement by beating the 38-year-old veteran, who has fought at the highest level and knows every trick there is to know in this game. But Ruffy knows exactly what his next milestone is in this journey. Taking the 155lbs title off of Islam Makhachev!

“I have a message for Islam Makhachev. I have a nice message. Hey, enjoy your days at the top. I know you are upset cause I beat you, friend. But enjoy your days, ’cause a new king is coming,” Ruffy told Ariel Helwani in an interview.

Of course, a Makhachev fight is still a long way away for the Brazilian. But it is a promising sign to see that Ruffy is confident enough to start trash-talking the Dagestani already. For now, the Brazilian dynamo wants to fight another veteran, #9-ranked Beneil Dariush. However, ‘Benny’ hasn’t seen any action since being knocked out by Arman Tsarukyan in late 2023.

And if Ruffy continues his current red-hot form, he may well find himself expedited to the top of the division. Moreover, the 155lbs division needs young and exciting challengers. What do you think about Islam Makhachev’s coach’s thoughts on Ruffy’s highlight reel UFC 313 KO of King Green?