In a featured matchup at MFC 23: Unstoppable Friday night at the River Cree Resort and Casino, Edmonton’s Ryan (Big Deal) Jimmo will put his win streak on the line against former MFC light-heavyweight champion Emanuel Newton. Just turned 28 last Friday, Jimmo fights out of local gym Hayabusa Training Centre, where he also teaches kickboxing classes.
Originally from St. John, N.B., Jimmo moved to Halifax about three-and-a-half years ago, which is where he first got into mixed martial arts. Unfortunately, his pro MMA career didn’t get started on a good note: he got knocked out by CFL defensive end Adam Braidwood in the Edmonton Eskimo’s only fight to date.
Since then however, he has reeled off 11 straight wins. Jimmo, who weighed in right at 205 pounds on Thursday, spoke to sportsnet.ca’s James Brydon this week about what will probably be his most challenging fight to date.
James Brydon: How did you get into MMA?
Ryan Jimmo: Shortly after I moved to Halifax, I started doing jiu-jitsu just as cross training for karate. And then I saw an opportunity to do something with it and it went from there.
JB: Can you talk about your first fight against Braidwood.
RJ: I think maybe I was a little overconfident, but I was fighting a guy who was quite a bit larger than me. I got caught with a heavy punch and went down, that’s kind of the nature of the beast.
I know sometimes you take a loss and you learn from it and improve from it. Obviously I was pretty angry and disappointed, but I took the loss and I used it appropriately to improve myself.
JB: What have you been working on mostly lately?
RJ: A lot of my wrestling, and my boxing and kickboxing. Wrestling (especially) because the only thing that made my last fight (against Marvin Eastman) even close was a couple takedowns.
JB: So, if not for that, you think you would have won handily rather than by split-decision?
RJ: That’s right.
JB: How do you feel when you leave a fight in judges’ hands?
RJ: I hate it.
JB: What are you going to do this time to try to avoid it happening again?
RJ: I’ll be a little more aggressive with my fighting style. When I was fighting Marvin Eastman I think I was a little bit in awe that I was fighting Marvin Eastman. He kind of fought everyone and he’s an impressive opponent.
So, (I’ll try to be) more aggressive, and open up a little more. I’ve been kind of reserved, trying to hold onto that winning streak that I had. So I have been just not taking a lot of risks, just defending and guarding. So I’m looking to take a little more risks and open up a little bit this time. I’ve been really focusing on that and just throwing my hands a little bit more.
JB: What can you say about your home life and training?
RJ: I’m not married, no children, but I act like enough of a child sometimes! (Laughs) I train with Jeff Montemurro, Luke Harris, and I do kickboxing at Frank Lee’s Muay Thai here in Edmonton. And I wrestle with University of Alberta wrestling team as well. I’ve been doing that since my last fight, middle of October.
JB: What would you consider to be your strengths?
RJ: My standup is probably my strength although I haven’t used it enough in the ring. I’m also very athletic and I’ve been fighting for a long time so I have an instinct for fighting. So I guess experience, athleticism and standup would be my strengths.
JB: What will be your biggest challenge against Emanuel Newton?
RJ: He’s a good wrestler so I think it’s really the only place he can get one up on me. If his wrestling is an eight out of 10 then mine is a seven or a six. But then his wrestling is only maybe a little bit better than mine, I don’t know, I haven’t tangled with him yet. But my standup’s much better and I think once it hits the mat, my jiu-jitsu’s better as well.
JB: Newton won the belt … but subsequently lost it and now has dropped two straight (once outside the MFC). Are you surprised at his losing streak?
RJ: No, sometimes that’s just how the psychology of a fighter goes, you lose once and it gets to them mentally and sometimes it’s hard to get back to your winning ways.
JB: Are you going to use that to your advantage?
RJ: Absolutely, I’m going look to press the action and break him mentally. And make sure that he thinks, “I’m in here with a tiger and I can’t get out unless someone actually lets me out of here because he just beat me up!”
