Maurício Ruffy knows the meaning of struggle. Having moved to São Paulo with his brother at 18, ‘One Shot’ was determined to rewrite his story. With no money and nowhere decent to stay, he spent nights in a leaky, flooded apartment—often forced to sleep upright on a chair.Life took a turn when he began working as a bodyguard for a wealthy Chinese businessman who eventually sponsored his MMA journey. But even with support, Ruffy’s path was anything but easy—frequent injuries left him bedridden, testing his will long before he ever stepped into a cage. Well, his struggles never ended as he reached a point where he wanted to take his own life. It wasn’t until a ‘messenger of God’ came into his life, changed his life for the better. What happened? Let’s find out.The ‘messenger of God’ who changed Maurício Ruffy’s lifeBack when Ruffy wasn’t even in the UFC, his life was marked by unprecedented struggles. Not only was his financial condition deteriorating, but his marriage was also in troubled waters. Why? Because doctors had diagnosed his wife with a condition that left her infertile. This news nearly broke Ruffy, as he had always dreamed of becoming a father. Talking to Full Violence, ‘One Shot’ narrated a story about how he found his faith again after a meeting with a ‘messenger of God’ miraculously changed his fortunes.“I said about the healing of my wife—she couldn’t be a mother, right? My wife couldn’t be a mother. No, God changed that. My life… it’s been a year now, May 8th, that I’ve been in the UFC, and it’s been two years since God transformed my life. That’s why I always talk about what God does. I can’t stay here—I told God that whenever I had the opportunity, I would talk about what God does,” said Ruffy.So, what happened? Amid all the turmoil in his life, one fateful day, he decided to hire a barber—to treat himself to a decent grooming session. Turns out that the barber was no ordinary man, but—according to Ruffy—a messenger of God in disguise.“I hired a guy to cut my hair. The guy came to my house and said, ‘Hey, where’s your wife?’ I said, ‘What are you talking about?’ He said, God brought me here to heal her. I said, “What do you mean? He said, ‘She doesn’t have a uterine problem.’ I almost fell back—it was a very intimate thing, only me and her knew about it.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Full Violence (@fullviolence)‘One Shot’ was completely baffled by the revelation, as he wasn’t expecting anyone other than him and his wife to know about the condition. The barber further questioned him on why he wasn’t successful despite having mastered his craft to near perfection. These revelations and questions led Ruffy to reconsider his faith in God.So, what happened? Well, his life changed after the meeting. “He left my house and said, ‘God is going to send a child for you,’ and ten days later, my wife was pregnant. We went to the hospital, and there wasn’t any sickness anymore.” Since that meeting with the barber, Ruffy has been a father to two children and has been having a dream run within the UFC. But faith apart, there’s another big aspect to Mauricio Ruffy’s inspiration to pursue MMA, and that’s none other than ‘The Notorious’ Irishman, Conor McGregor.‘One Shot’ explains his closeness with Conor McGregor“I don’t mind being compared to Conor McGregor,” Ruffy told reporters when they compared the outspoken Brazilian fighter with the former dual-weight champion. “The guy had a great history in UFC. He’s a guy who taught everyone how to make money in fights. Thanks everyone who is saying that.”Since his UFC debut, fans and MMA analysts have been aspects of the Irishman in Ruffy, and have often referred to him as the young Conor McGregor. Unlike many fighters who try to distance themselves from the UFC star, Ruffy is quite content with the comparisons to McGregor. In one of his conversations, ‘One Shot’ added, “In the construction of Mauricio Ruffy, there was always a little bit of Conor McGregor there.”He further added, “When I’m ready to fight Islam Makhachev, when I go to fight him, I want to invite Conor McGregor to be in my corner so it’s us against the Russians. I want McGregor there, I want McGregor to be able to be up close and taste the victory for when I beat the Russians.” Quite a bold take from the Brazilian, however, Islam Makhachev has jumped divisions, and he may not return to lightweight soon—not especially to face someone who isn’t in the lightweight top 5.Regardless, Mauricio Ruffy seems to come a long way from his poverty-stricken days—to now being a legit dangerous fighter and top future contender for the lightweight division’s championship belt. What do you think of Ruffy’s stint with the ‘messenger of God’? Let us know.The post UFC’s Mauricio Ruffy Reveals Divine Intervention Amid Wife’s Pregnancy Struggles appeared first on EssentiallySports.