Author Archive: Ryan Valdez (Contributor)

I am just a guy who is a BJJ practitioner and loves MMA. I'd be lying if I said I was a fan of MMA from the very start. I do remember watching guys like Oleg Taktarov and Paul “Polar Bear” Varlens but the sport just didn’t catch on to me, so I went back to pro wrestling. It wasn’t until I saw BJ Penn vs Din Thomas at UFC 32 that opened my eyes to the sport and my favorite MMA fighter of all time, The Prodigy BJ Penn. From then on I’ve aspired to contribute to the MMA community as much as I can whether it’s through articles, learning photography for live events, or taking video to create video logs or highlight videos for everyone to enjoy and see.

The UFC 152 Main Card is More than just Jon Jones

Ryan Valdez (Contributor) | September 19, 2012 | 4:18 pm | Reply

Jon Jones this, Jon Jones that, Jon Jones Jon Jones Jon Jones. That name has been in the headlines for the past four weeks after the collapse of UFC 151. But now that its done and over with, we finally have a fight card on our hands that MMA fans can actually say, “it’s a pretty stacked card.” Besides the obvious main event that has been beaten longer than a dead horse, let’s take a look and preview other fights on the UFC 152 main card that are potentially being overshadowed by all this hoopla.

The Injury Bug Strikes Again, This time its at UFC 153

Ryan Valdez (Contributor) | September 11, 2012 | 4:58 pm | Reply

Another UFC event, another fighter injured. It seems like a recurring theme these days as you can never count on a card until they actually walk out to the octagon, and even then they could get injured on the way there. The price you pay for a physical sport where the training camps are just as hard, or if not harder, then the actual fight. Think about it, fighters, eat, sleep, and train consistently. They are breaking down their bodies more than they are resting them. It will and always is an inevitable vicious cycle.

The Top 5 Female MMA Fighters

Ryan Valdez (Contributor) | August 29, 2012 | 3:21 pm | Reply

Women fighters have a tendency to fly under the radar when it comes to MMA. The progression level of women’s fighting is steadily improving with companies like Invitca FC and Strikeforce, allowing women to headline their cards. This can only mean one thing. That it is here to stay and it can only get bigger and better.

Will Fans ever see Ronda Rousey vs. Cris Cyborg?

Ryan Valdez (Contributor) | August 21, 2012 | 1:38 pm | Reply

The inevitable super fight is every fans dream, but it always has some road blocks or obstacles along the way. You would think pitting two men or two women against each other would be as easy as picking names out of a hat and sticking them together in a cage to let them duel it out, wrong! There are so many factors to setting up these fights that sometimes, it doesn’t even happen at all.