Ryan Ford (born March 8, 1982) is a Canadian

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

and

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 ...

. A professional competitor since 2007, Ford has also formerly competed for Bellator, the WSOF, the MFC, TFC, and the AFC.

Mixed martial arts career

Maximum Fighting Championship

Ford began his career with

Maximum Fighting Championship Maximum Fighting Championship is a Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Edmonton, Alberta. MFC’s former home, in Canada, is the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alberta, located just outside Edmonton, Alberta, but has also ...

, On February 22, 2008 at MFC 15 Ford defeated

Pete Spratt Aaron Dewain "Pete" Spratt (born January 9, 1971) is a former American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 1999, Spratt has formerly competed for the UFC, the MFC, Legacy ...

via rear-naked choke in the second round. On May 9, 2008 at MFC 16 Ford defeated CJ Fernandes via rear-naked choke submission in round one. On July 25, 2008 at MFC 17 Ford was defeated by

Pat Healy Patrick Healy, Pat Healy, Patrick Healey or Pat Healey may refer to: * Felix Healy (Patrick Joseph Healy, born 1955), former Northern Irish football player and manager * Pat Healy (actor) (born 1971), American actor, writer, and director * Pat H ...

via arm-bar submission, the fight was for the MFC Welterweight Championship. On September 28, 2008 at

MFC 18 ''MFC 18: Famous'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) on September 26, 2008 in Enoch, Alberta. Background It was announced that the winner of the David Heath and Emanuel Newton fight would receive a t ...

Ford defeated

Laverne Clark LaVerne Clark is an American mixed martial artist and a former professional boxer. Clark is a veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Maximum Fighting Championship and World Fighting Alliance. Clark holds a professional record of 27– ...

via guillotine choke in the second round. On February 20, 2009 at

MFC 20 ''MFC 20: Destined for Greatness'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) on February 20th, 2009 in Enoch, Alberta. Fight Card See also * Maximum Fighting Championship * List of Maximum Fight ...

Ford was defeated by

via split decision in a rematch for the MFC Welterweight Championship. On September 10, 2010 at

MFC 26 ''MFC 26: Retribution'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) on September 10, 2010 at the River Cree Casino in Enoch, Alberta. The event was aired live on HDNet with commentators Michael Schiavello, Fran ...

Ford was defeated by

Douglas Lima Douglas Lima (born 5 January 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is a former three-time Bellator Welterweight Champion. He is also the former MFC Welterweight Champion. ...

via armbar submission in the second round. On November 12, 2010 at

MFC 27 ''MFC 27: Breaking Point'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) on November 12, 2010 at the River Cree Casino in Enoch, Alberta. Background This event featured an MFC Welterweight title fight between Do ...

Ford defeated

in a rematch via rear-naked choke submission. Ford has twice left the

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

-based MFC organization due to contract disputes.

Independent promotions

Ford signed with the Edmonton-based promotion

The Fight Club The Fight Club is a Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Edmonton, Alberta. TFC currently fights at the Shaw Conference Centre. Rules TFC employs the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. Fighters compete in a cage. Rounds Every ...

. On March 19, 2010, at TFC 10 Ford defeated former

Ultimate Fighter ''Ultimate Fighter'' - known in Japan as , is a 1992 fighting video game developed and published by Culture Brain for the Super NES. An updated version of it titled

finalist

Tom Speer Thomas Speer (born August 20, 1984) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2005 until 2013, he received national exposure on '' The Ultimate Fighter 6: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra'', fighting as a member of Tea ...

via rear-naked choke submission in round one on March 19, 2010 to retain the TFC Welterweight Championship. On May 19, 2011, Ford fought UFC veteran

Karo Parisyan Karapet "Karo" Parisyan ( hy, Կարապետ Փարիզյան; born August 28, 1982) is an Armenian-American mixed martial artist, who last competed in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 1999, Parisyan is a ...

at MMA Live 1 in

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

, After the first two rounds, Ford caught Parisyan with a knee and cut his forehead, causing the doctor and referee to stop the fight giving Ford the win via doctor stoppage.

Aggression Fighting Championship

On June 10, 2011, Ford Returned to the Aggression MMA organization at ''AMMA 7: Confrontation'' defeating Nick Hinchcliffe in round three via TKO due to punches. On September 16, 2011, at ''AMMA 8: Unfinished Business'', Ford was defeated by David Hulett via guillotine choke in round one. On February 11, 2012, Ford defeated Ricky Goodall at AMMA 9 via TKO due to elbows in round one. On March 23, 2013, Ford fought for the renamed Aggression Fighting Championship promotion in Edmonton, Alberta. Ford defeated Brendan Tierney via KO in the second round at AFC 17. Ford faced

Ultimate Fighter ''Ultimate Fighter'' - known in Japan as , is a 1992 fighting video game developed and published by Culture Brain for the Super NES. An updated version of it titled

vet Michael Hill on July 5, 2013 at AFC 19 for the AFC Welterweight Championship. Ford defeated Hill via rear-naked choke submission in the fifth round to win the AFC Welterweight Championship.

Bellator Fighting Championships

Ford signed with Bellator making his debut On May 4, 2012 at

Bellator 67 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so ...

, Ford defeated Luis Santos via TKO due to knees and punches in the second round. On November 2, 2012 at

Bellator 79 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so i ...

, Ford took on Kyle Baker at Casino Rama in Ontario, Ford won via unanimous decision.

World Series of Fighting

On December 5, 2013, it was announced that Ford signed a multi-fight deal with

World Series of Fighting The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

’s Canadian branch and is expected to debut under the WSOF banner in early 2014. Ford is expected to make is WSOF debut at WSOF Canada 1 against Joel Powell for the inaugural WSOF Canadian Welterweight Championship. Ford won via knockout due to a front kick and punches in just 53 seconds of round one to win the WSOF Canadian Welterweight Championship. Ford was scheduled to fight Bristol Marunde on June 7, 2014 at WSOF Canada 2. He pulled out after getting injured during training. Ford faced

Jake Shields Jake Sequoyah Shields (born January 9, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist and submission grappler. He was the last Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Champion, the only Elite XC Welterweight Champion, a former Shooto Welterweight ...

in the main event at WSOF 14 on October 11, 2014 in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Although he dropped Shields early in the fight with a left hand, Ford eventually lost the fight via rear naked choke submission in the first round. Ford was set to face

Yushin Okami is a Japanese mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2002, Okami has competed for the UFC, PRIDE, Pancrase, M-1 Global, World Series of Fighting, DEEP, Professional Fighters League, and ONE Championship. Mixed martial arts caree ...

in a Middleweight bout for the main event of WSOF 21 on June 5, 2015. However, Ford announced that he had to pull out of the June fight with Okami.

Unified MMA

On January 6, 2022, it was announced that Ford would be making his return to

MMA 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 strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

on March 4, 2022 at Unified MMA 43 against Dawond Pickney. He won the bout via triangle choke in the second round. Ford made his return on May 27, 2022 at Unified MMA 45 facing off against Robert Hale for the Unified MMA Super Welterweight Championship. He won the fight via first round technical knockout.

Professional boxing career

Ford made his professional boxing debut on February 13, 2010, winning a four-round majority decision over Willard Lewis. On June 8, 2015, it was announced that Ford was retiring from MMA to focus on a career in professional boxing. Ford fought on September 11, 2015 against Gary Kopas competing for the KO Boxing promotion. He won a four-round unanimous decision. On September 20, 2015, it was announced that Ford will fight on October 16, 2015 against Antonio Dos Santos at Dekada Premier Fight Night. He won via knockout in the first round. On November 13, 2015, it was announced that Ford will fight on December 4, 2015 against Alvaro Enriquez for the KO Boxing promotion. He won via technical knockout in the second round. On February 22, 2016, it was announced that Ford will fight on March 11, 2016 against David Whittom for the KO Boxing promotion. He won via knockout in the first round. On April 22, 2016, Ford faced former Thailand Olympic Gold and Silver medalist Manus Boonjumnong. He won via fourth-round technical knockout after his opponent was no longer able to continue entering the fifth round. On September 9, 2016, Ford faced former World Boxing Council Cruiserweight Champion Victor Manuel Palacios for the KO Boxing promotion. He won the fight via unanimous decision. On October 29, 2016, it was announced that Ford would face IBO Asia Pacific Light Heavyweight Champion

Sam Rapira Sam Rapira (born 8 April 1987) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who last played for Toulouse Olympique in the Betfred Championship. He played as a . A New Zealand international representative he previously played ...

on February 17, 2017 for the Vacant UBO Light Heavyweight Championship. He won the fight via TKO to become the UBO World Light Heavyweight Champion. On November 10, 2016, it was announced that Ford would be facing Mario Baeza for the KO Boxing promotion on December 2, 2016. He won the fight via unanimous decision. On March 13, 2017, it was announced that Ford would be making the first defense of his title against former WBC Asian World Champion New Zealand fighter

Robert Berridge Robert Berridge (born 22 November 1984) is a retired New Zealand professional light heavyweight boxer. Berridge is a boxer who has had over thirty fights, five boxing titles and has peaked at ninth on the World Boxing Organization and twelfth ...

on May 27, 2017. He won the fight via technical decision after an accidental head butt. On August 10, 2017, it as announced that Ford would be facing British fighter WBO European Light Heavyweight Champion Anthony Yarde on September 16, 2017 for the vacant WBO Intercontinental Light Heavyweight Championship. On August 25, 2017, it was announced that the fight was canceled after a contract dispute. On September 6, 2017, it was announced that Ford would be facing Joaquin Murrieta on September 9, 2017 for Rixta Promotions. He won the fight via corner stoppage in the fourth round. On November 17, 2017, it was announced that Ford would be facing former WBA Super Middleweight Champion

Fedor Chudinov Fedor Chudinov (born 15 September 1987) is a Russian professional boxer. He held the WBA (Super) super-middleweight title in 2016, having previously held the regular title from 2015 to 2016 and the interim title from 2014 to 2015. He is the bro ...

for the WBA International Super Middleweight Title on December 9, 2017. Ford lost via twelve round unanimous decision. On February 9, 2019, Ford faced off against

Nick Hannig Nick Hannig (born 11 September 1986) is a German professional boxer. Professional boxing career On 10 March 2018, he faced off against Adam Bashanov in a super-middleweight bout in Bashanov's hometown of Struer, Denmark. Hannig won via sixth-ro ...

for the vacant WBC International

light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

title. Ford lost via twelve round unanimous decision. On April 6, 2019, Ford faced off against German Olympic boxer

Serge Michel Serge Michel (born 10 September 1988) is a German professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined ...

. Ford won the fight via knockout to win the WBC International Silver light heavyweight title. On August 31, 2019, Ford faced undefeated

Joshua Buatsi Joshua Buatsi (born 14 March 1993) is a British professional boxer who held the British light-heavyweight title in 2019, and the WBA International light-heavyweight title between 2018 and 2021. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal in the lig ...

which ended in controversy after what appeared to be a low shot from Buatsi, the fight was stopped awarding Buatsi the victory via knockout

Personal life

Ford is married to wife Nina & has two children, a son, Ryan Jr. and a daughter, Bella. He is the son of retired professional boxer

Al Ford Allan "Al" Ford (born August 13, 1950) is a Canadian retired professional boxer. He is a former CBF Lightweight Champion. Professional boxing career Ford made his debut as a professional boxer on October 20, 1967 (shortly after his seventeenth ...

. In 2003, Ford was the participant in an armed robbery home invasion. During the robbery, Ford used a knife on the home owner and cut the victim's left index and middle finger to the bone. The victim's wife and two children were present in the house at the time. Ford served a four-year sentence for this crime.

Championships and accomplishments

Boxing

*Universal Boxing Organization **UBO World Light Heavyweight Championship (One time) *

World Boxing Council The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...

**WBC International Silver Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Mixed Martial Arts

* Aggression Fighting Championship ** AFC Welterweight Championship (One time) *

** TFC Welterweight Championship (One time) ** Interim TFC Welterweight Championship (One time) *Unified MMA **Unified Super Welterweight Championship (One time, current) * World Series of Fighting: Canada ** WSOF Canadian Welterweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 24–5 , Robert Hale , TKO (punches) , Unified MMA 45 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:56 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 23–5 , Dawond Pickney , Submission (triangle choke) , Unified MMA 43 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:01 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–5 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , WSOF 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:29 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 22–4 , Joel Powell , KO (front kick and punches) , WSOF Canada 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:53 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 21–4 , Michael Hill , Submission (rear-naked choke) , AFC 19 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 4:32 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 20–4 , Brendan Tierney , KO (punch) , AFC 17 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:11 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 19–4 , Kyle Baker , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rama, Ontario Rama is a First Nations in Canada, First Nations community on the Chippewas of Rama First Nation reserve in Ontario, Canada. It is the home of Casino Rama. The community sports complex is called the Mnjikaning Arena Sports Ki, which was the ho ...

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 18–4 , Luis Santos , TKO (knee and punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:24 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 17–4 , Ricky Goodall , TKO (elbows) , AMMA 9: Aggression MMA 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:37 ,

Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–4 , David Hulett , Submission (guillotine choke) , AMMA 8: Unfinished Business , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:35 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 16–3 , Nick Hinchliffe , TKO (punches) , AMMA 7: Confrontation , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:18 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 15–3 ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , JEG: MMA Live 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:26 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 14–3 , Johnny Davis , TKO (punches) , AMMA 6: Edmonton , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:06 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:07 ,

Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–3 ,

, Submission (armbar) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:48 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , TFC 10: High Voltage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:29 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , John Walsh , KO (punches) , TFC 9: Total Chaos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:13 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Markhaile Wedderburn , Submission (rear-naked choke) , TFC 8: Salvation , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:24 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Dave Mazany , TKO (punches) , TFC 7: Full Throttle , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:28 ,

Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Nabil Khatib , Decision (unanimous) , Raw Combat: Redemption , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , MFC 18: Famous , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:30 ,

Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 ,

, Submission (armbar) , MFC 17: Hostile Takeover , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , CJ Fernandes , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MFC 16: Anger Management , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:32 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , MFC 15: Rags to Riches , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:01 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Mike Sorenson , TKO (punches) , MFC 14: High Rollers , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:51 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Adil Abbas , Submission (rear-naked choke) , ECC 6: Hometown Heroes , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:21 ,

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Randy Valette , TKO (punches and elbows) , MFC 13: Lucky 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:07 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Aaron Gallant , TKO (punches) , MFC 12: High Stakes , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:15 ,

Canada ,

Professional boxing record

References

External links

* * *
Ryan Ford UBO Profile

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Ryan 1982 births Living people Canadian male mixed martial artists Canadian male boxers Cruiserweight boxers Light-heavyweight boxers Super-middleweight boxers Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing World Boxing Council champions World light-heavyweight boxing champions Black Canadian boxers Sportspeople from Edmonton