Ryan James Schultz (born July 4, 1977) is an American

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 ...

who last competed in 2013. A professional since 2003, he has competed in the WEC,

IFL IFL may refer to: ;American football *Intense Football League, (2004–2008) in the United States, merged into the Indoor Football League *Indoor Football League, (2008–present) in the United States *Intercontinental Football League, a European l ...

, and Japan's

World Victory Road World Victory Road (WVR) is a defunct Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) organization which promoted the Sengoku Raiden Championship (SRC) in Japan. The organization was formed in 2007 following the purchase of PRIDE FC by Zuffa. It operated in ...

. He was the last International Fight League Lightweight Champion, competing for

Matt Lindland Matthew James Lindland (born May 17, 1970), also known as The Law, is an American retired mixed martial artist, Olympic wrestler, speaker, actor, coach, entrepreneur and politician. He won the Oregon Republican Party's nomination for t ...

Portland Wolfpack The Portland Wolfpack were a team in the now-defunct International Fight League and based in Portland, Oregon. The Wolfpack were coached by Olympic silver medalist in Greco Roman Wrestling, Matt Lindland. The Wolfpack were established in the mi ...

Biography

Schultz was born and raised in

North Platte, Nebraska North Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the west-central part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River. T ...

. He was a member of his

high school wrestling Scholastic wrestling, also known in the United States as folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practiced at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially collegiate wrestling wi ...

team, graduating in 1996. Schultz has a degree in criminal justice from the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, where he continued to compete in

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

, coached by

. After graduation, Ryan worked as an apprentice plumber in Colorado, before embarking on his MMA career. Schultz is a member of

Team Quest Team Quest is a mixed martial arts training camp founded by Randy Couture and Dan Henderson with facilities located in Gresham, Oregon; Murrieta, California; Encinitas, California; Redding, California; Hemet, California; and Chiang Mai, Thailand. ...

, training with his former wrestling coach and former

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 ...

veteran

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Schultz was entered into his first MMA fight by a friend. The fight took place at

Dan Severn Daniel DeWayne Severn (born June 8, 1958), nicknamed "The Beast", is an American professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. A UFC Hall of Fame member, Severn is considered one of the leading pioneers of mixed mart ...

's promotion Dangerzone, in April 2004, in North Dakota. Schultz had not trained at all for the fight, but won by KO, after just 45 seconds. A few days after the fight, Lindland asked Schultz to join

, an offer which Schultz accepted. Over the next three years, Schultz competed in 20 fights in various promotions, including the WEC, Hawaiian promotion SuperBrawl, Absolute Fighting Championship, and SportFight - a promotion founded by

and

Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former United States Army, U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman ...

. On June 18, 2004, Schultz won an eight-man lightweight tournament, at SuperBrawl 36 in Hawaii. Schultz won his first fight that night, against Mike Aina, by a split decision. In the semi-final fight, Schultz submitted Deshaun Johnson by a

rear-naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keikog ...

in the first round. In the finals, Schultz defeated

Roger Huerta Roger Huerta (born May 20, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the lightweight division. He initially gained exposure by competing in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator Fighting Ch ...

, who verbally submitted due to a dislocated jaw.

International Fight League

Ryan Schultz entered the

promotion as a member of the

team, with a record of 13–7–1. He defeated Cam Ward by TKO in his first fight in the promotion, but lost to Los Angeles Anacondas'

Chris Horodecki Christopher Horodecki (born September 24, 1987) is a Polish-Canadian mixed martial artist. He has competed for the WEC, the IFL, Bellator, TKO Major League MMA, and Palace Fighting Championship. Background Horodecki was born in London, Ontario ...

in his second fight, two months later. In his third fight, on December 29, 2006, he faced

Quad Cities Silverbacks The Quad Cities Silverbacks was an International Fight League team based in the Quad Cities region of the United States. Coached by former UFC Welterweight Champion and founder of the very successful Miletich Fighting Systems camp, Pat Miletich, ...

' future UFC veteran Bart Palaszewski. Schultz dominated the first and second round of the fight, but got caught by Palaszewski's right hand in the third round, and lost by KO. The match was awarded "Fight of the Night" honors. After winning his next three bouts in the IFL, Schultz was selected to replace

John Gunderson John Edward Gunderson (born May 1, 1980) is a retired American mixed martial artist. He used to fight with the UFC and SCC also numerous other organizations being a champion or fighting for the championship in many of them. Once he was a top 1 ...

(himself a replacement for Shad Lierley) in a fight against Chris Horodecki for the IFL

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

championship. In the bout, which took place at the IFL: World Grand Prix Finals, Schultz was able to avenged his first loss to Horodecki in the IFL. Schultz pinned Horodecki's right hand early in the first round, continued to pound him until the referee stepped in at 2:51 of the first round, and was crowned the first IFL Lightweight Champion. Before the IFL promotion folded, Schultz successfully defended his title twice, defeating

and

Deividas Taurosevicius Deividas is a Lithuanian language, Lithuanian masculine given name. Individuals with the name Deividas include: *Deividas Česnauskis (born 1981), Lithuanian footballer *Deividas Dulkys (born 1988), Lithuanian basketball player *Deividas Gailius ( ...

, both by unanimous decision.

World Victory Road - Sengoku

In July 2008, Schultz agreed to a five event deal with the Japanese promotion

Sengoku The was a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Various ...

. In his first fight for the promotion, at Sengoku IV, Schultz lost to Mizuto Hirota, by KO in the second round. Schultz faced

Jorge Masvidal Jorge Masvidal (born November 12, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Masvidal has been competing professionally since 2003; h ...

in his next fight, which took place less than a month after Sengoku IV. Masvidal was able to knockdown Schultz in the first round, and finished him by TKO using strikes on his grounded opponent.

Personal life

Ryan married his high school sweetheart and together they have a son. Ryan and his family live in

Fort Collins, Colorado Fort Collins is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Larimer County, Colorado Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359 ...

. Schultz and fellow MMA fighter

Ed Herman Edward Benson Herman (born October 2, 1980) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2002, Herman was a finalis ...

own and operate "Trials Martial Arts and Fitness Gym" in Northern Colorado. The gym offers high level mixed martial arts training. Ryan is featured in the mixed martial arts documentary ''

Fight Life ''Fight Life'' is a feature-length documentary on the sport of mixed martial arts. The film is directed by independent filmmaker James Z. Feng and produced by RiLL Films. The film focuses on the lives of professional mixed martial arts fighters ou ...

'', released in 2013, the film is directed by independent filmmaker James Z. Feng and produced by RiLL Films.Fight Life: MMA Documentary
/ref>

Championships and accomplishments

International Fight League The International Fight League was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion billed as the world's first MMA league. It was founded on January 7, 2006, and closed on July 31, 2008.

** IFL Lightweight Championship (One time; First; Last)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 23–14–1 , Anselmo Luna , TKO (punches) , Prize Fighting Championship 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:05 ,

Midland, Texas Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States. A small part of Midland is in Martin County. At the 2020 census, Midland's population was 132,524. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas metropolitan ...

United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–13–1 ,

Scott Cleve Scott Cleve (born July 22, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in Bellator's Featherweight division and the MFC. Background Cleve was born in Long Beach, California and raised in Escondido, California, attending Escondido H ...

, KO (punches) , SCL: Rise of the King , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:04 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–12–1 , Billy Martin , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MFP: Resurrection , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:49 ,

Casper, Wyoming Casper is a city in, and the county seat of, Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the second-largest city in the state, with the population at 59,038 as of the 2020 census. Only Cheyenne, the state capital, is larger. Casper is nic ...

United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–12–1 , Angelo Duarte , Submission (rear-naked choke) , ROF 42 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:37 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a consolidated city and county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The Broomfield populatio ...

United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–12–1 ,

Kazunori Yokota is a Japanese mixed martial artist and judoka. Yokota became famous fighting in the Japanese MMA promotion DEEP, and eventually debuted WVR Sengoku, his only fight in a cage was his MMA debut, which was on 19 September 2004 against Keita Naka ...

, KO (punches) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:37 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–11–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:57 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, ,

Mizuto Hirota is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional competitor since 2005, he appeared in the Japanese MMA event Dynamite!! 2009 event and has also competed for U ...

, KO (superman punch) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:25 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 21–9–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , IFL: Connecticut , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 4:00 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the New England town, town of Montville, Connecticut, Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a Administrative divisions of Connecticut#Village, neighborhood, section of town, village in southeastern Montville, at the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–9–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , IFL: Las Vegas , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 4:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–9–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , IFL: World Grand Prix Finals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:51 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–9–1 , Aaron Riley , Decision (unanimous) , IFL: 2007 Team Championship Final , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:00 ,

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–9–1 ,

Savant Young Savant Young (born June 19, 1976) is an American retired mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1998 until 2013, he competed for the WEC, Bellator, Shooto, Affliction, the Tokyo Sabres of the IFL, King of the Cage, and Tachi Pa ...

, Decision (unanimous) , IFL: Everett , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:00 ,

Everett, Washington Everett is the county seat and largest city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett is the seventh-largest city in the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–9–1 , Joe Sampieri , Decision (unanimous) , IFL: Connecticut , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–9–1 , Bart Palaszewski , KO (punch) , IFL: Championship Final , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:16 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–8–1 ,

, TKO (head kick and punches) , IFL: World Championship Semifinals , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:24 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–7–1 , Cam Ward , TKO (punches) , IFL: Portland , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:38 ,

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–7–1 ,

Hermes França Hermes França Barros (; born August 26, 1974) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He has competed for the UFC, WEC, MFC, and Israel FC. He is a former WEC Lightweight Champion, and former UFC Lightweight Championship contender. Mixed mar ...

, KO (punches) , AFC 16: Absolute Fighting Championships 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:30 ,

Boca Raton, Florida Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–6–1 , Dave Cochran , Submission (rear-naked choke) , SF 15: Tribute , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:42 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–6–1 ,

Kuniyoshi Hironaka is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. He has formerly competed for the UFC, Shooto, DREAM, and Pancrase. Mixed martial arts career Early career Hironaka made his professional mixed martial arts debut in ...

, Submission (armbar) , MARS: MARS , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:40 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–5–1 ,

Rich Clementi Richard Thomas Clementi (born March 31, 1977) is a former American mixed martial artist. Clementi has fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championships, Bellator, K-1 Hero's DREAM, King of the Cage, and Titan FC. Background Clementi was born in ...

, Submission (armbar) , AFC 14: Absolute Fighting Championships 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:39 ,

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–4–1 , David Gardner , Submission (broken rib) , FFC 15: Fiesta Las Vegas , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 ,

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 13–3–1 ,

Gesias Cavalcante Gesias Cavalcante (born July 6, 1983) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. He was the 2006 and 2007 K-1 HERO Middleweight Champion, and has also fought for Strikeforce, DREAM, Shooto, ...

, Draw , SF 11: Rumble at the Rose Garden , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Hiroyuki Abe , TKO (punches) , Euphoria: USA vs World , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:42 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–3 , Keith Wilson , Decision (unanimous) , SF 8: Justice , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Gresham, Oregon Gresham ( ) is a city located in Multnomah County, Oregon, in the United States of America, immediately east of Portland, Oregon. It is considered a suburb within the Greater Portland Metropolitan area. Though it began as a settlement in the mid- ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , David Gaona , TKO (punches) , Euphoria: Road to the Titles , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:17 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 ,

Jason Dent Jason William Dent (born June 12, 1980) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2003 until 2012, he fought in the UFC, King of the Cage, and was a competitor on SpikeTV's '' The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United ...

, TKO (punches) , APEX: Genesis , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 ,

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 ,

, TKO (jaw injury) , SB 36: SuperBrawl 36 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:47 ,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Deshaun Johnson , Submission (rear-naked choke) , SB 36: SuperBrawl 36 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:55 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Mike Aina , Decision (split) , SB 36: SuperBrawl 36 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 ,

Gil Castillo Gil Philip Castillo (born October 21, 1965) is an Americans, American professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. A professional from 1998 until 2006, he fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, World Extreme Cagefighting, W ...

, Decision (majority) , WEC 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–2 ,

Ronald Jhun Ronald Andrew Jhun Jr. (born September 21, 1970) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 1998, Jhun has formerly competed for the UFC, Strikeforce, ...

, TKO (corner stoppage) , ROTR 5: Rumble on the Rock 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Nick Gilardi , KO (punches) , DB 10: DesertBrawl 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, with a population of 99,178 at the time of the 2020 U.S ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Eddy Ellis , KO (punch) , SF 1: Revolution , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:53 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Hank Weis , TKO (submission to punches) , KC 8: Kickdown Classic 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:17 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Jeremy Saunders , TKO (punches) , URC 6: Ultimate Ring Challenge 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:46 ,

Longview, Washington Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 37,818 at the time of the 2 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Hannibal Adofo , KO (punch) ,

WEC 8 WEC 8: Halloween Fury 2 was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Extreme Cagefighting on October 17, 2003, at the Palace Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore, California. The main event saw Cole Escovedo defend the WEC Featherweight title aga ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:25 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , JT Taylor , KO (punches) ,

WEC 7 WEC 7: This Time It's Personal was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Extreme Cagefighting on August 9, 2003, at the Palace Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore, California. In the main event, Ron Waterman fought James Nevarez to decide WEC' ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:56 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Jon Henderson , TKO (punches) , Dangerzone: Dakota Destruction , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 ,

New Town, North Dakota New Town is a city in Mountrail County, North Dakota. The population was 2,764 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the 18th largest city in North Dakota. New Town was platted in 1950 as a replacement site for the residents of Sanish and ...

, United States ,

References

External links

*
Northern Colorado's Premier MMA Gym

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schultz, Ryan Living people 1977 births American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Nebraska Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Portland, Oregon People from North Platte, Nebraska American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu