Jean Silva backs Mauricio Ruffy despite rift after UFC 331 KO

Jean Silva, the UFC featherweight known as "Lord," has publicly backed his former teammate Mauricio Ruffy despite an acknowledged rift between them, following Ruffy's first-round knockout loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 331 in Los Angeles on September 19.

Ruffy (14–3) mounted an early offensive against Tsarukyan (24–3), hurting him with a sharp right hand, but "The Batman" weathered the storm by mixing in his wrestling. Late in the opening round, Tsarukyan broke from a clinch and landed a vicious elbow that put Ruffy to sleep, securing a decisive victory in a high-stakes lightweight contest.

Silva and Ruffy trained together at the Fighting Nerds academy under coach Pablo Sucupira, and Silva has credited Ruffy with helping him channel his aggression early in his career. However, Ruffy relocated to Australia to train with featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, prompting a public split with Silva. Despite their falling out, Silva posted on social media expressing hope that fans and those around Ruffy would offer support as he navigates recovery from a knockout loss at the highest level. "As I said in the video, I hope that the people around give support to Ruffy, I've been in that same situation and it's a very dark road to be on," Silva wrote. "Even having our problems, Ruffy is an excellent athlete."

Silva understands the mental toll of high-profile knockout defeats firsthand—he suffered a similar loss to Diego Lopes last year but has since rebounded with consecutive wins over Arnold Allen and Jose Delgado. His message underscores the psychological difficulty fighters face after such defeats and the importance of community support during recovery.