Ryan LaFlare (born October 1, 1983) is a retired 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 formerly competed in 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 ...

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

division.

Background

LaFlare was born and raised in

Lindenhurst, New York Lindenhurst is a village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the southern shore of Long Island in the town of Babylon. The population was 27,253 at the 2010 census. The village is officially known as the Incorporated Village of Linden ...

, attending

Lindenhurst High School Lindenhurst Senior High School (LHS) is a public high school in Lindenhurst, New York on the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island. The high school is the sole high school of the Lindenhurst Union Free School District, which include ...

where he was a League I runner-up, and placed 6th at the Suffolk County/Section XI Championships 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 ...

. LaFlare then continued his career at

Nassau Community College Nassau Community College (NCC) is a public community college in Uniondale, New York, using the Garden City, New York ZIP Code. It was founded in 1959 and is part of the State University of New York. History Nassau Community College was cre ...

, but shifted his attention to lacrosse after a snowboarding accident. He later transferred to

Farmingdale State College The State University of New York at Farmingdale (Farmingdale State College or SUNY Farmingdale) is a public college in East Farmingdale, New York. It is part of the State University of New York. The college was chartered in 1912 as a school of ap ...

where he became the school's all-time leading goal scorer and was also an honorable mention All-American. LaFlare began practicing

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

upon graduation, before transitioning into mixed martial arts. He also previously worked for the MMA stats website Compustrike, which he claims gave him a better understanding of the sport.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

LaFlare compiled an undefeated 6-0 record with all finishes with all of his bouts taking place in the New Jersey-based promotion Ring of Combat. There was a 2.5 year gap between his last two wins due to a plethora of injuries and the successful return got him a call up to

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

. However the organization would be absorbed by the UFC shortly after signing him and he would never compete. Believing that he was free to sign elsewhere he signed with

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

at was tentatively booked to face

Josh Burkman Joshua Ray Burkman (born April 10, 1980) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist formerly competing in the Welterweight division. He formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the World Series of Fighting, the XFC, ...

WSOF 2 This is a list of events held and scheduled by the Professional Fighters League, a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States. This list also includes events by the league's predecessor, the World Series of Fighting (WSOF). Schedu ...

. However two weeks after the bout was announced LaFlare was called by the UFC and informed that he was under contract with them due to his previous Strikeforce contract being absorbed.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

LaFlare made his promotional debut on April 6, 2013 at

UFC on Fuel TV 9 ''UFC on Fuel TV: Mousasi vs. Latifi'' (also known as ''UFC on Fuel TV 9'' or ''UFC Sweden 2'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 6, 2013, at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. The event was broadcast live on Fuel TV. Ba ...

against

Ben Alloway Ben Alloway (born 19 February 1981) is an Australian mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2010, he was a competitor on '' The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes''. Ben formerly fought for the UFC in the welterweight division. M ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. LaFlare faced promotional newcomer

Santiago Ponzinibbio Santiago Ponzinibbio (born September 26, 1986) is an Argentine mixed martial artist competing as a Welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background He was born in Argentina to parents of Italian heritage, with paternal grandpa ...

on November 9, 2013 at

UFC Fight Night 32 ''UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 32'') was a mixed martial arts event held on November 9, 2013, at the Goiânia Arena in Goiânia, Brazil. The event was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1. Background Th ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. LaFlare faced

Court McGee Courtney Scott "Court" McGee (born December 12, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, McGee mostly fought in local prom ...

on December 14, 2013 at

UFC on Fox 9 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 ...

, replacing an injured

Kelvin Gastelum Kelvin Gastelum (born October 24, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Gastelum has competed for the UFC since he won ''The Ultima ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. LaFlare faced

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...

UFC Fight Night 39 ''UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Nelson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 39'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 11, 2014, at du Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background A heavyweight bout between Roy Nelson and Antônio ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. LaFlare was expected to face Gunnar Nelson on July 19, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 46 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 ...

. However, he was sidelined due to injury and replaced by

Zak Cummings Zacharry "Zak" Michael Cummings (born August 2, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist, who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also formerly comp ...

. LaFlare faced

Demian Maia Demian Maia (born 6 November 1977) is a Brazilian professional submission grappler and mixed martial artist. He competed in both the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Maia is regarded as one ...

UFC Fight Night 62 ''UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. LaFlare'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 62'') was a mixed martial arts event held on March 21, 2015, at the Ginásio do Maracanãzinho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background After hosting a PPV event at the venue a ...

on March 21, 2015. LaFlare lost the fight by unanimous decision. LaFlare faced

Mike Pierce Michael Pierce (born September 1, 1980) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist. He formerly competed as a Welterweight in the UFC and also competed in a one-fight stint in the WEC. Personal life Pierce is married and has two c ...

on December 11, 2015 at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale. He won the fight by unanimous decision. LaFlare was scheduled to face

Alexander Yakovlev Alexander Nikolayevich Yakovlev (russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Я́ковлев; 2 December 1923 – 18 October 2005) was a Soviet and Russian politician, diplomat, and historian. A member of the Politburo and Secretar ...

on July 23, 2016 at

UFC on Fox 20 ''UFC on Fox: Holm vs. Shevchenko'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 20'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 23, 2016, at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Background The event was headlined b ...

. However, LaFlare pulled out of the fight in early June after sustaining an undisclosed injury and replaced by

Kamaru Usman Kamarudeen Usman (born May 11, 1987) is a Nigerian and American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and retired folkstyle wrestler. He currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championsh ...

. LaFlare faced

Roan Carneiro Roan Carneiro Pereira (born 2 June 1978) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2000, Carneiro was ...

on February 11, 2017 at

UFC 208 ''UFC 208: Holm vs. de Randamie'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on February 11, 2017, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Background The event was originally scheduled to take pl ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. LaFlare faced

Alex Oliveira Alex de Oliveira (born February 21, 1988) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Born and raised in Três Rios, Rio de Janeiro, Oliveira ...

on July 22, 2017 at

UFC on Fox 25 ''UFC on Fox: Weidman vs. Gastelum'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 25'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 22, 2017 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Background ...

. After winning the first round with his wrestling, he lost the fight via knockout in the second round, marking the first time he's been stopped in his MMA career. LaFlare faced Alex Garcia on April 21, 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 128 ''UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 128'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on April 21, 2018, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Background ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. LaFlare faced

Anthony Rocco Martin Anthony "Tony" Rocco Martin (born December 11, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the lightweight and welterweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born in Palos Heights, Illinois, M ...

on October 6, 2018 at

UFC 229 ''UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor ''was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) that was held on October 6, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas–Paradise, ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in the third round after being dropped by a head kick and finished with punches. On October 10, 2018, LaFlare announced his retirement from professional MMA competition.

Mixed martial arts record

, Loss , align=center, 14–3 ,

, KO (head kick and punches) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:00 ,

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, 14–2 , Alex Garcia , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, 13–2 ,

, KO (punch) , UFC on Fox: Weidman vs. Gastelum , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:50 ,

Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a census-designated place (CDP), as well as a suburb in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead, New York, Town of Hempstead. The population was 32,473 at the 2020 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. LaFlare , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Nelson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Goiânia Goiânia (; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Goiás. With a population of 1,536,097, it is the second-largest city in the Central-West Region and the 10th-largest in the country. Its metropolitan area has a population ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fuel TV: Mousasi vs. Latifi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Andrew Osborne , Submission (armbar) , Ring of Combat 43 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:01 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Mike Medrano , TKO (knee to the body and punches) , Ring of Combat 30 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:07 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Justin Haskins , KO (punches) , Ring of Combat 28 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:36 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Mark Berrocal , TKO (punches) , Ring of Combat 27 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:19 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Jose Sulsona , Submission (armbar) , Ring of Combat 26 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:18 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Robert Cunane , KO (punch) , Ring of Combat 25 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:19 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Radji Bryson-Barrett , Submission (armbar) , Ring of Combat 20 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:38 ,

, United States , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:LaFlare, Ryan Living people American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from New York (state) Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Lindenhurst, New York 1983 births Sportspeople from New York (state) Nassau Community College alumni Farmingdale State College alumni Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links