Mauricio Ruffy Outpointed James Llontop in New York
Mauricio Ruffy defeated James Llontop by unanimous decision at UFC 309 on November 16, 2024. All three judges scored the Madison Square Garden contest 29–28 after Ruffy’s early damage outweighed Llontop’s stronger final-round response.
The opponent and contracted weight changed
Ruffy had originally been scheduled to face Charlie Campbell before Llontop became his opponent. The contest was arranged at a 165-pound catchweight and opened the pay-per-view main card.
Llontop weighed 166.2 pounds, above that agreed limit, while Ruffy recorded 164.4. UFC confirmed that Llontop forfeited twenty percent of his purse and that the bout would proceed.
Ruffy’s striking created the advantage
Ruffy took time to settle while Llontop pushed forward willingly. He nevertheless hurt the Peruvian during the opening round and found more damaging offense in the second.
A look-away left hand dropped Llontop, and further attacks kept him defending. Ruffy slowed during the last five minutes, allowing Llontop to enjoy more success, but the earlier work secured the decision.
The victory followed a rapid UFC debut
Ruffy had stopped Jamie Mullarkey with strikes at UFC 301 on May 4, 2024. That finish came at 4:42 of the first round and introduced him to the promotion with an emphatic result.
The Llontop contest supplied a different assignment over the full three-round distance. It gave Ruffy a second UFC victory while testing his ability to retain an advantage after an opponent survived his strongest attacks.
Sources
- UFC: Llontop fight sequence and unanimous verdict
- UFC: agreed catchweight, measured weights and purse penalty
- UFC: Campbell replacement background
- UFC: Mullarkey debut and dated results
