Ryan Ford Rights The Ship With Recent Win Over Pete Spratt

Ryan Ford

Expectations have always been high for Ryan “Real Deal” Ford, but he’s not always been able to live up to them.

After picking up four wins in a row, Ford was submitted by Douglas Lima at MFC 26 in September, derailing his rise, albeit temporarily.

Wanting to erase the disappointment of his loss to Lima, Ford wasted no time returning to action at MFC 27, defeating veteran Pete Spratt for the second time.

“It’s good to get back on the winning side,” Ford told MMAWeekly.com after the match. “I’m not really impressed by my whole fight, how it went down, but I got the W and that’s all that matters.”

Usually an aggressive fighter, Ford seemed sluggish in the first round, to which he accounts being overly cerebral early on.

“I was just getting my mind in it right,” said Ford. “In my last fight I had a little bit of a mental issue about thinking about things too much and not just going out and fighting.

“I was worried about getting caught in submissions or bad situations and getting out of them.”

Ford also admits a change in style may have accounted for his initial lack of sharpness.

“I wanted to keep the fight standing, because usually I throw a couple of punches and rush for a takedown; I’m trying to get out of that game and start mixing up my hands and feet,” he commented.

To get him back on track, Ford credits his team for getting on his case in between rounds.
“My corner was getting in my face telling me it was ‘time to go’ and ‘let’s do this,’” said Ford. “It pretty much they fired me up in the second round to come out and get it done.”

Having gone 2-1 in 2010, Ford wants to continue to develop the skills he’s picked up from working with Adam Zugec and the Zuma team in Vancouver, so he can get back to putting together wins.

“I’m back on the winning track to start 2011, and I want to just keep on that winning streak,” he stated.

“I’ve been in the gym every day training and gaining confidence in my hands and my whole ability to work the game out. You’re going to see lots more of me in exciting fights every time I step in the ring or cage.”

Back on a positive route to close out the year, Ford is looking forward to delivering on expectations and rising to the challenges that await him.

“I want to thank everybody for supporting me: Full Tilt Poker, Head Rush, TriStar, Key West Edmonton, Rock Hard Weekend, and everybody else for making it so I can keep doing what I do,” he concluded.

“To the fans out there, keep your eyes out for me. I’m coming in strong every fight. It’s never going to be a boring fight with me; it’s always going to be exciting because I make sure I put on a show for the fans.”