By JAMES BRYDON
Sportsnet.ca
Ryan (The Real Deal) Ford was cruising along in his young mixed martial arts career.
Six fights, six wins, all in under a year, and he was building just about the biggest fan base possible in his native Edmonton as he prepared to square off against an outsider with a welterweight title on the line.
But a bit of carelessness suddenly put a halt to his undefeated run.
"(People) were telling me you could hear a needle drop in the venue when I had to tap out for the armbar," Ford said of his third-round loss to Pat Healy in July.
But as disappointing as his defeat to Healy at MFC 17 was, it certainly hasn’t taken a chink out of the 26-year-old’s confidence.
"I’m still confident, even coming off that loss," he explained. "It was just the inexperience. It was my seventh fight and he had 40-plus (fights). He had a lot of experience and he was a tough dude. I gave him some shots and he withstood it. And that comes with experience that you can hang in a fight."
Ford (6-1) had been getting used to making mince meat out of his opponents, knocking out three of his adversaries before the second minute of the second round, and sinking in rear naked chokes in the other three.
While his fight against Healy was the first time he was pushed to a third round, it seemed to be taking on the same tone as his previous fights. Ford was dominant in the first two frames, and while he had to escape a couple of submission attempts, he did so without too much trouble.
Admittedly, Ford was still a little green and that caught up with him. But he doesn’t expect that to be an issue again as he prepares to meet another veteran in LaVerne Clark Friday at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alta., in the co-main event of MFC 18: Famous.
"I got caught (in my last fight). There’s no more getting caught anymore," Ford insisted. "I can make the fight exciting but I don’t have to do it in stupid ways, (like) trying to get out of armbars with slams."
Before his first loss, Ford believed he could one day be as good as fellow welterweight Georges St. Pierre, who racked up some wins in his hometown circuit before becoming a star and champion in the UFC. While he still has a ways to go, he feels the loss will actually help him get there.
"A loss only makes you better," Ford said. "All the champions if you look at their record, they all have losses. You’ve got to lose in order to gain. I found out that you can’t always learn from winning. It’s like every aspect of life. You learn from your mistakes."
Ford has made his fair share of mistakes in life too. It has been documented, even on this web site, about the time he served in prison for an aggravated assault he committed as a younger man.
But his life now is like night and day from what it was back then.
Of course, he now applies his aggressive nature in a controlled sporting environment. But the biggest change in Ford’s life has been within his family — he and his fiancee Nina just welcomed a baby girl into the world. Bella Tiara Ford was born a few weeks ago.
"Tiara is just like what princesses wear and with my fiancee being Italian and Bella means beautiful, we’ve got a beautiful princess."
It’s an apt name for his daughter, since he himself still hopes to be crowned champion in the MFC before long. And for that he has really stepped up his intensity.
"I’m motivated to get it," said Ford. "I feel like putting another win on my record is going to make me feel a lot better. I’m just back. I’m ready."
Ford hasn’t just been training with his usual crew at Pro Camp, which includes UFC fighter Jason (The Athlete) MacDonald. He has also worked with some guys who have been fighting for King of the Cage, including fellow Edmonton native and former MFC fighter Victor (The Matrix) Valimaki. While Valimaki had a falling out with Pro Camp and manager Mark Pavelich last year, Ford still feels it was important to train with anyone he can.
"I’m getting used to feeling out different people," Ford said. "It’s good to get with people you don’t necessarily match up with (to prepare for different fighters). If you go into a training camp and there’s only three guys there, I don’t think it really benefits you that much. So when I get to train with 12 guys in a row, it makes training a lot better."
All he knows about Clark (25-16-1) is that he is another experienced fighter, one who has a boxing background and has fought tough guys including Melvin Guillard, Frank Trigg, Chris Lytle, Mac Danzig and Jake Ellenberger.
It may even be Ford’s toughest test yet, especially since he’s coming off the first blemish of his career.
"I just have to put the pressure on him quick," Ford said. "And I don’t believe he’s going to be able to withstand it."
