Islam Makhachev, Joe Rogan Join UFC Paris Locker Room to Rub Salt on Emotional ‘Fighting Nerds’ Team

UFC Paris proved to be a night of spectacle, with one fight after another leaving the fans entertained. However, the majority of eyes were locked on the co-main and main events. Why? Because the Fighting Nerds and the French favorites were set to collide in high-stakes matchups. As the Nerds’ captain, Caio Borralho, is yet to enter the octagon, their star trooper, Mauricio Ruffy, faced adversity.

The Brazilian entered as a surging contender after scoring a spectacular wheel-kick knockout over Bobby Green in his last outing at UFC 313. Naturally, fans expected the same magic against Benoît Saint-Denis in the UFC Paris co-main event. But this time, the former French paratrooper’s relentless grappling proved too much for the Fighting Nerds member to handle. From the opening bell, ‘BSD’ dominated with control, and in the second round, he sealed the deal with a rear-naked choke! Sending fellow French Nassourdine Imavov into celebration mode backstage.

After the loss, criticism of Ruffy’s performance quickly started making the rounds. Islam Makhachev took to X, writing, “Train more, speak less — that’s the key to success #UFCParis,” before following up with, “Win or lose, Ruffy has zero grappling.” Even Joe Rogan chimed in to break down BSD’s victory. The UFC color commentator stated on his Fight Companion YouTube livestream, “He looked great tonight. That dude just submitted Ruffy—that’s big, man! That’s big for him.” Brendan Schaub responded, “We don’t know how good Ruffy is, though.”

Win or lose, Ruffy has zero grappling

— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) September 6, 2025

Joe countered with more detail: “But we know how good he is on the feet. I mean, he just got submitted. His background was judo initially—he’s a really good grappler. He’s only been fighting in MMA for a few years and really didn’t start striking until later. Yeah, he’s kind of a freak, man. I asked him in the post-fight speech, ‘How did you get so good so quick?’ I don’t think he understood me. But he’s a uniquely violent man.”

Well, after Ruffy missed a massive opportunity to climb the rankings, it’s not hard to imagine the Fighting Nerds’ corner being emotional. On the other hand, Benoît Saint-Denis’ path would become clearer after securing such a big victory. Wasting no time, he took the stage to declare that he’s ready for a quick turnaround. 

Benoît Saint-Denis wants to fight at MSG after UFC Paris victory

‘BSD’ was close to a title shot when he fought Dustin Poirier at UFC 299. But losing to ‘The Diamond’ in such a crucial spot derailed his momentum, and the follow-up loss against Renato Moicano only made matters worse. However, after defeating Mauricio Ruffy in the UFC Paris co-main event, the Frenchman is now riding a two-fight winning streak and has his sights set on a top-10 opponent with a quick turnaround at Madison Square Garden.

In his post-fight octagon interview, ‘BSD’ said, “And you know what, if there’s a fighter in the top 10 who doesn’t have an opponent, if anything happens in the coming weeks, I’m ready to step in. I know there’s an event in Madison Square Garden, maybe we can do something there.”

UFC 321 is set for November 15th, with Islam Makhachev chasing double-champ glory against Jack Della Maddalena. And let’s be real, any fight can get canceled for various reasons. So, Dana White will need backups ready in case something falls apart, and Saint-Denis could easily step in if any of the undercard lightweight fights collapse.

With that being said, what do you think of ‘BSD’s win in the UFC Paris co-main event? Is he truly ready to climb the 155 lbs ladder again? And can Mauricio Ruffy bounce back after this monumental setback? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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