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Mauricio Ruffy believes he slipped up against Arman Tsarukyan and was knocked out for it.

Ruffy had the biggest opportunity of his pro MMA career on the UFC 331 main card. The Brazilian knockout artist was featured in the co-main event against top-ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan. This was Ruffy’s chance to turn the 155-pound division upside down.

Ruffy had success in spots, catching Tsarukyan with a punch early, and he even had some success with his takedown defense. Ultimately, Ruffy’s grappling defense led to his downfall, as Tsarukyan used the opportunity to catch his opponent with a brutal elbow that put him to sleep.

In a statement posted on his Instagram Stories, Ruffy said that while he felt in prime form inside the Octagon, he made a big mistake leaving his guard down prior to the elbow (via MMAFighting).

“I was 100 percent focused on performing, in passing all possible situation, and have an answer for them all. I was feeling really good in the fight. …

”When I got that flash knockdown and felt his strength starting to fade. I felt the fight in my control. And when he got flash knocked down, I felt that his strength was breaking. I saw how much he felt it when I hit one elbow at the tip of the rib when he was defending reversal. So he was hurt, his eye was very closed. I would get a lot of punches up there, and I was sure I would finish the fight in the second round.

“An important thing to say is that the mistake was totally mine. It was my fault, my carelessness, and his merit. Arman is an excellent fighter.”

Ruffy admitted it stings knowing that he had a brief lapse inside the Octagon.

“I just got careless,” Ruffy said. “I relaxed on defense, which I normally don’t do. So I paid the price for that.

The good news for Ruffy is that there were some things to build off of even though the fight didn’t make it past the first round. Time will tell how he responds to being knocked out for the second time in his pro MMA career. This is also Ruffy’s third pro loss.

Who would you match Mauricio Ruffy up against next? Play matchmaker in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM