James Brydon

Easter weekend. A time when many people commemorate the death and resurrection of a saviour, while others celebrate a certain bunny and partake in a hunt for candy eggs. And in some cases, such as in my household, both. (Yes, I have two young kids.)

So I thought I'd mark the occasion by writing about two Canadian welterweight fighters who have a faith in God, and who are also on the hunt for the proverbial Easter egg in their MMA careers -- that being, a UFC contract.

Let's start with a veteran who has already tasted the Octagon (many times in fact) but is hoping to get back to the big show for the first time in over three years: Duncan, B.C. native John (The Natural) Alessio.

The 30-year-old has fought numerous times in the WEC since. But with the sister organization to the UFC having now dropped its 170-pound division, his only opportunity to return to the Zuffa ranks would be with the "larger" promotion.

He is on the right track; last month he upped his winning streak to four, typically the number the UFC wants to see before signing a fighter.

Achieving that goal is his motivation for everything these days. While he is currently engaged to be married, he admitted that he has simplified his life.

"There's no 'going out' at all now, it's just about getting back to the UFC," he told me just before his most recent bout, a first-round submission of fellow Canuck Chris Clements. "I know I have to earn it. And I'm going to do that. I'm just going to keep working hard."

"I've completely rededicated myself to the sport. I'm way healthier now, I'm in way better shape. I'm a better fighter, physically and mentally and technique wise."

The kind of discipline he has applied to those areas is coupled with a spiritual one.

"Prayer is very important," Alessio said. "Faith means a lot to me. My family has always been religious. And I'm not a preachy-type person, I pretty much keep it to myself. But I do believe in the power of Jesus and I wouldn't be here today without Him."

You could say he's been a bit of a journeyman professionally in the last 24 months, having fought eight times, spanning six different promotions in three different countries (including one on another continent). While he went 6-2 in those fights, you could say a return to "the promised land" would constitute a "resurrection" to his already successful career.

His ideal answer to prayer would be if he could land a spot on the UFC's now-confirmed June show in his home province.

The card is already expected to feature one B.C. boy in Rory MacDonald, but since he is one of only two Canadians confirmed up to this point, you would think the UFC would be looking to add a second "hometown favourite."

A lot of fans feel the same way -- a Facebook group has been launched for the cause.

The second fighter is one at a very different point in his career, but one who may also be on the verge of getting into the UFC, a first for him. That's 28-year-old Ryan (The Real Deal) Ford of Edmonton.

Life is quite grand right now for this rising star of MMA. He is fresh off a first-round submission of former UFC fighter Tommy Speer in the main event of TFC 10 in Edmonton, the day before Alessio's win in Montreal.

It was Ford's first time fighting on a pay-per-view and improved his record to 12-2, and it came just weeks after winning in his pro boxing debut.

He's getting married on April 14 in Mexico to his fiancée Nina, whom he has been with for a number of years and with whom he has a beautiful young daughter named Bella.

And he feels like he's finally with the perfect training team, one he also calls family.

"I'm around the right people and life's good," Ford said. "God is doing his thing steering me in the right direction and making everything happen for me."

Does that include an imminent trip to the UFC? Maybe, but Ford says he's just being patient. He doesn't want to make that move unless it's the right situation, in terms of opponent and compensation, since he's the provider for his family.

But asked about it in an interview with MMAcanada.tv following his March 19 win, he said he's ready to go "wherever God's taking me."

We hear "Jesus-talk" from athletes all the time, and in MMA it's no different (a subject for a future blog). But with Ford, just as his nickname suggests when referring to his fight game, it also applies to him as a person. He is "The Real Deal" and he means it when he talks about faith.

In fact it goes even deeper than that, because there is another piece of background to his story. In 2005, Ford was sentenced to four years in jail after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a January 2003 aggravated assault incident. He served two years.

Some might suggest that he doesn't deserve to be where he is because of this. But ask anyone who knows him and they'll tell you he is a very different person than he was a half-dozen years ago. Having chatted with him many times myself, I would tend to agree.

We all make mistakes, don't we? They might not be as big, but we all do things we regret and hurt others. And seeing as we're talking about Easter -- and the purpose of Good Friday is to celebrate Christ's death and resurrection as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins of all mankind -- we all ought to receive at least one second chance in life. Ford is not wasting his.

Two welterweights on two entirely different paths, yet following a common guide -- from above.