UFC 331 undercard puts Tsarukyan, Steveson and Pitbull in focus

UFC 331’s featured undercard includes Arman Tsarukyan v Mauricio Ruffy, Gable Steveson v Sharaf and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire v Dooho Choi, according to CBS Sports.

Tsarukyan is described as the No. 2-ranked lightweight, while Ruffy is ranked No. 7. Tsarukyan previously withdrew from a scheduled lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311, and a loss in Los Angeles would put further pressure on his title prospects.

For Ruffy, victory would strengthen his claim to move into title contention. The Brazilian has been developing his defensive grappling after a loss to Benoit Saint Denis, while retaining a reputation for knockout power.

Steveson, an Olympic gold medallist, is scheduled to make a quick return after his UFC 329 debut. Training under Jon Jones, he is continuing to develop his mixed martial arts game against Sharaf, whose first name is not provided in the source material.

Freire, a former Bellator champion, faces Choi in a bout involving two established names. Choi is associated with an acclaimed 2016 fight against Cub Swanson and could challenge Freire’s reported No. 15 featherweight ranking. Marlon Vera v Charles Jourdain is also listed as an honourable mention.