Ruan Potts (born 24 August 1977) is a South African professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

currently competing in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

division. A professional competitor since 2011, Potts formerly competed for the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Mixed martial arts career

Potts made his professional debut in 2011, competing exclusively for regional promotions in his native South Africa, where he was also the

Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) is a South African mixed martial arts promotion company established since 2009. It is the largest MMA promotion company on the continent of Africa and features on its roster professional fighters from across t ...

Heavyweight Champion. He compiled a record of 8 – 1, finishing his opponents in all of his victories before signing with the UFC in February 2014.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Potts made his promotional debut against

Soa Palelei Soa Palelei (born 12 July 1977) is an Australian retired mixed martial artist. A professional from 2002 until 2015, he most notably competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and PRIDE Fighting Championships. Background Born in 1977, Newc ...

on 10 May 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 40 ''UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 40'') was a mixed martial arts event held on May 10, 2014, at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. Background The event was the second time that the organization has held ...

. Palelei won the fight via knockout in the first round. Potts faced Anthony Hamilton on 30 August 2014 at

UFC 177 ''UFC 177: Dillashaw vs. Soto'' was a mixed martial arts event held on August 30, 2014, at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California. Background The event was originally planned to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev ...

. Hamilton won the bout via TKO in the second round. Potts faced

Derrick Lewis Derrick James Lewis (born February 7, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he currently holds the record for most knockouts ...

on 28 February 2015 at

UFC 184 ''UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano'' was a mixed martial arts event held on February 28, 2015, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background A UFC Middleweight Championship bout between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort was expected to serve ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Potts was subsequently released from the UFC.

Return to EFC

Potts re-signed with

after his release from the UFC and faced

Cyril Asker Cyril Asker (born December 24, 1985) is a French mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born and raised in Avignon, France, Asker began training in MMA at the age of 18. B ...

. He lost via TKO (retirement) after the first round. He has fought a further five times in the EFC since then.

Championships and accomplishments

Extreme Fighting Championship Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) is a South African mixed martial arts promotion company established since 2009. It is the largest MMA promotion company on the continent of Africa and features on its roster professional fighters from across t ...

** EFC Heavyweight Championship (Two times) **Two successful title defences

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 11–7 ,

Jared Vanderaa Jared Vanderaa (born May 12, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Vanderaa was born in Washington but moved around a lot with his mother in pursuit o ...

, TKO (punches) , EFC 76 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:24 ,

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 11–6 , Karl Etherington , TKO (punches) , EFC 58 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:33 ,

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 10–6 , Brendon Groenewald , Submission (rear naked choke) , EFC 55 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:21 ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 9–6 , Vandam Mbuyi , Submission (armbar) , EFC 50 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:06 , Sun City, South Africa , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–6 , Tumelo Maphutha , Decision (unanimous) , EFC 45 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, South Africa , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–5 ,

, TKO (retirement) , EFC 40 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

, South Africa , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–4 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:18 ,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 , Anthony Hamilton , TKO (body punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:17 ,

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:20 ,

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, Ohio, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Andrew Van Zyl , Technical Submission (armbar) , EFC Africa 26 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:44 ,

Gauteng Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Ricky Misholas , Submission (triangle choke) , EFC Africa 24 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Mahmoud Hassan , Submission (ankle lock) , EFC Africa 21 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:37 ,

, South Africa , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1 , Andrew Van Zyl , Decision (unanimous) , EFC Africa 18 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Bernardo Mikixi , TKO (punches) , EFC Africa 16 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Andrew Van Zyl , Submission (guillotine choke) , EFC Africa 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:50 ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Norman Wessels , TKO (punches) , EFC Africa 9 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:21 ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Baygon Obutobe , TKO (punches and elbows) , EFC Africa 8 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Calven Robinson , TKO (knee and punches) , EFC Africa 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:23 ,

, South Africa ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Potts, Ruan 1978 births Living people South African male judoka South African male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu South African practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Cape Town Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters