The dedicated training leading up to Ryan Allen’s first amateur mixed martial arts fight may have taken a considerable amount of time, but the fight itself did not. Allen finished the fight 20 seconds into the first round, overcoming his opponent with a TKO victory.
Fighting in the light heavyweight division, six-foot-one-inch Allen weighed in at 203 pounds, while opponent Ben Anderson, who stands six-foot-two, weighed in at 206.1 pounds.
Allen, a Sicamous native, resides in Salmon Arm and trains with Gracie Barra Shuswap/Vernon BJJ & MMA, says his experience competing in Brazilian jiu jitsu and attending the 2010 Jiu Jitsu World Championships last June helped him prepare for at the sold-out Battlefield Fight League event held at the River Rock Casino in Richmond Jan. 15.
Allen says he was surprised he didn’t have more butterflies entering the venue, but having a few friendly faces in the crowd may have helped.
“It felt great to have that support. I had a whole cheering section,” he said of the 20-some friends who made the trip, laughing that his cheerleaders had convinced strangers to cheer along also.
Entering the ring first, Allen did so to Motorhead’s Smiling like a killer, ready to perform after months of intense training – training that wasn’t trying for only him.
Allen’s fiancé, Collette Hohmann, had to divvy up her time with Allen with his trainers.
Training for a fight can be hard on relationships, admitted Allen, which is why he says he’s lucky to have such a supportive fiancé.
Allen says fight preparation included jiu jitsu, kickboxing, grappling, striking and intense cardio training, resulting in an all-around approach to the fight.
“I had a good mix of guys around me,” he said. “People don’t realize there is world-class training in the area. Going into the fight, there was no question in my mind I was prepared.”
Meeting at the centre of the ring, Allen said he took no time to throw an overhand right that Anderson dodged before throwing a right uppercut followed by a right hand that knocked Anderson to the ground.
Attacking with a few more strikes, Allen said the ref stopped it then and there.
“It was a big rush. It happened so fast. You spend all that time training and the fight only lasts so long.”
After the fight, two hotdogs and three cheeseburgers later, Allen says it was nice to celebrate with friends and family. He is already back to training – which he calls “infectious.”
Allen says he’s ecstatic with his win, but would’ve liked to have put his ground game to use.
“My grappling is the better part of my game, which is why I think they underestimated my striking. If the fight lasted longer it wouldn’t have been better or worse, just a different experience. Win or lose, at least you got in there and did it.”
Allen says he hopes to have another fight to challenge himself further but it may not be in the near future with a wedding date already set in June.
“I have strict rules from the fiancé about not being bruised up for the wedding,” he laughs.