Not many wrestlers have received this much buzz from MMA fans. At least not many amateur wrestlers.
But the community took note Monday when news came that Ed Ruth, a three-time NCAA wrestling champion, four-time All-American and 2016 Olympic medal hopeful, signed a contract with Bellator MMA (via MMAFighting.com).
It took note for several reasons. First, because regardless of what happens next year in the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, Ruth—who originally announced just in March that he would pursue pro MMA—will be one of the sport’s two or three most decorated wrestlers the moment he sets foot in a cage.
Second, because it is the latest in a series of bold strokes from new Bellator president Scott Coker that have placed the sport’s second-largest promotion within a whale migration's distance of the UFC. That's closer than anyone’s been in quite a while.
Third, because the announcement drafts behind in the immediate wake of backlash leveled at the UFC’s new tiered sponsorship deal, which some have theorized might make the promotion less lucrative for current fighters and less attractive to future ones.
The Bargaining Table
Ruth’s MMA debut is still as many as two years away. Though nothing is certain, Ruth is expected to not only make Team USA as a freestyle wrestler but bring home a medal in his luggage.
Until that process is complete, MMA training, at least the kind of MMA training you need to be an MMA fighter, is on hold.
“I don’t want to be one foot out and one foot in on this,” he said in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. “Wrestling is coming along great. A lot of things in my style have changed up….I don’t feel like [MMA] is a distraction. It’s all training. Some things I do for MMA, working on footwork, boxing, angles, it all helps in wrestling.”
Even so, Ruth chose now as the time to go pro and sign with Bellator. He said one factor was the faith he had in Coker and in Bellator itself.
“There was good cooperation,” Ruth said. “I met with Scott Coker before everything was said and done. I feel like I’m a good judge of character. He’s the guy. The contract he had me sign will help me along the way.”
Bellator Presses Its Advantages
Ever since Coker took the Bellator reins last summer, the promotion has been far friskier on several fronts as a competitor to the titanic UFC. Just last month, Phil Davis, with whom Ruth shares his Penn State alma matter, jumped ship from the UFC to Bellator. Novelty-rich fights like Tito Ortiz vs. Stephan Bonnar or the upcoming Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock have captured their share of eyeballs. And Ruth is just the latest prospect to be lured to Bellator.
Early May brought the specifics of the UFC’s uniform deal with Reebok. Under the agreement, UFC fighters are not allowed to wear any non-Reebok logo inside the cage, and are compensated on a tiered system for wearing the Reebok gear. However, since it was announced, the deal continues to draw fire from fighters and outside observers who claim that many competitors stand to earn substantially less under the new system.
Did this factor into Ruth’s decision to go with Bellator instead of the UFC?
“It definitely did,” Ruth said. “As much work as I want to put in and the number of people I want to reach, I felt I could do that best right now in Bellator. I don’t really understand the tier system [of the UFC-Reebok deal], but for so many people to be so upset, it just seemed like it wouldn’t be a great beginning for me…In Bellator, I can select my own sponsors.”
Friends Come in Sad, Strange, Strong Packages
Ruth said previously he would train at the prestigious Greg Jackson-Mike Winkeljohn camp once it was time to focus on MMA. But that camp lost, in a way, its star student recently when the UFC stripped Jon Jones of his light heavyweight title and suspended him indefinitely following his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run accident that left a pregnant woman with a fractured arm.
Ruth formed a relationship with Jones and others at the gym back in December, helping Jones prepare for his title defense against Daniel Cormier at UFC 182. It influenced his decision to pursue pro MMA anywhere, at Jackson’s or otherwise, and it gave him a clearer window into Jones’ troubles than a stranger might have.
“I hate that it happened to him,” Ruth said of Jones. “He’s a great athlete and a great guy. I respected him, and I still do. I just hope it all works out for the best.”
But Ruth has another friend who directly benefited from Jones’ suspension. That would be Cormier, who lost his title shot to Jones at UFC 182 but gained a new shot by replacing the suspended Jones at UFC 187 to face Anthony Johnson for the now-vacant belt.
“DC reached out to me right after the NCAAs were over,” Ruth said. “I asked him for his opinion on [his career direction], and he told me what he thought. He’s always been 100 percent with me.”
So we know that Ruth will do it, we know where he will go, and we know why he made those decisions. For the most part, the MMA world might not hear from Ed Ruth again for a while. But that’s OK; there’s still a pretty good chance we’ll see him.
“Keep an eye out for Rio,” Ruth said. “Just watch. I’m gonna go out there, get that gold. Watch.”
All quotes obtained firsthand.
