Despite the absence of superstar Georges St-Pierre, 2014 has seen an influx of Canadians compete for the UFC.
The success of The Ultimate Fighter Nations was a big factor in this, but one Canadian who’s still waiting for his shot in the big show is lightweight fighter Alex Ricci.
The Woodbridge, Ont., native tried out for TUF Nations last September, but wasn’t selected as one of the four members on Team Canada’s welterweight roster. While he may have missed out on the opportunity, the 31-year-old gained a wealth of knowledge, which has only fuelled his motivation.
“I did the best I could and I didn’t get picked,” Ricci told Sportsnet. “Overall it was such a great experience being able to see a lot of the top guys, meet [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva and some of the people involved with UFC. It got me so inspired. I really want to be a part of the UFC. They have the best fighters and that’s where I want to be.”
Ricci (7-2) has an opportunity to get one step closer to the Octagon on Friday night in Toronto, as he faces Bellator veteran E.J. Brooks in the main event of Substance Cage Combat’s sophomore event. Brooks (7-2) was a late replacement for Canadian Jason Saggo, who was removed from the event when he was signed by the UFC earlier this month. He will face Josh Shockley at UFC 174 in Vancouver in June. Despite all the changes, Ricci maintains a positive attitude and even gave praise to his original opponent.
“I’m happy for Jason, it’s such a big opportunity and he deserves it,” Ricci said. ”Unfortunately I didn’t get to fight him but at the same time in this game, you just got to roll with the punches. You have to expect changes all the time; I’ve been through [opponent changes] so many times.”
Regardless of the switch up, Ricci revealed there weren’t many changes in his preparation for Brooks.
“Basically Saggo is a genius on the floor and obviously I was focusing a lot on my ground game,” Ricci explained. “At the same time I’ve [been working] on my whole game and adjusting for [Brooks] wasn’t a big deal. He’s a Greco style wrestler and he likes his throws. I’m just going to go out there and fight my fight.”
Ricci is coming off a split decision loss to Ryan Healy in his last bout this past March. In preparation for this camp, Ricci — a Score Fighting Series veteran — has added striking coach Evan Boris whom he’s been working with for the last three months. In addition, Ricci is continuing to work his ground game with jiu-jitsu ace Rory McDonell and Brazilian Sergio Cunha, a world renowned trainer who has worked with the likes of Wanderlei Silva and the Nogueira brothers.
While he only has nine pro MMA fights on his resume, the window is slowly closing on the former Muay Thai fighter’s UFC aspirations. Despite the pressure of landing a UFC contract and headlining a main event in his hometown, Ricci remains confident.
“Overall I don’t think [Brooks] is anything special. I believe I’m a more superior opponent,” Ricci said. “I’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. It’s up to me to take it and nobody else. This is what I worked so hard for 16 years. When I bring my best, that’s when I shine, that’s when you see the knockouts.”
Ricci hopes an impressive win over Brooks will finally land him a UFC contract. More importantly, Ricci is looking to improve overall as a person, which he believes goes hand and hand with combat sports.
“I believe I’m one of the best and my goal is to be the best, I’m striving for No. 1. [I’m just] focusing on being a better person. The better fighter I become the better person I become. You know, just keep training hard and keep perfecting my game.“
So how will this fight play out? Despite having five knockouts in seven career wins, the 31-year-old has set an interesting goal.
“I would love a submission. I’ve been really focusing on my ground game and I love jiu-jitsu. I would love nothing more than earning a submission victory. It’s going to be a high-paced fight, lots of action and I’m going for gold.”
Here’s a list of the full Substance Cage Combat 2 card in Toronto.
FIGHT CARD
— Alex Ricci (7-2) vs E.J. Brooks (7-2)
— Ainsley Robinson (5-2) vs Kyle Nelson (5-0)
— Todd Stoute (5-1) vs Jeremy Osheim (4-0)
— Michael Karkula (6-0) vs Mike Malott (3-0)
— Adrian Woolley (7-3) vs Jeimeson Saudino (8-3)
— Allan Wilson (2-1) vs Mike Sledzion (3-4)
— Tiago Tavares (2-1) vs Scott Hudson (2-2)
— Abdula Teymouri (1-0) vs Julian Villanova (0-0)
— Rob Santos (0-1) vs Max Li (0-0)
— Ahmed Kakar (0-1) vs Omar Karami (0-0)
