Wrestling stars Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune start MMA careers tonight at Bellator 163
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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
Shots of Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune courtesy of Bellator MMA
Tonight the mixed martial arts world will get its first glimpse of the future.
Top prospects and former wrestling superstars Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune are set for their pro debuts at Bellator 163 held at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Ruth and Fortune are the first of the recent crop of wrestling to MMA converts to enter the cage. The expectations are high for both the fighters with both men already being scrubbed in as potential Bellator title contenders down the road.
In a recent interview with MMAFighting.com, Ruth established that he relishes in the pressure of it all. This is to be expected considering the grand stages Ruth has competed on throughout his wrestling career, winning the NCAA tournament three times and competing at the World Championships, World Cup and Olympic Trials.
"Pressure is what you make it,” Ruth stated. “I still have to get my job done whether I'm in the room alone or whether there are a bunch of people watching. I like the idea everyone has come to see whether I'm going to succeed for fail.”
Standing opposite Ruth on Friday night is fellow newcomer Dustin Collins-Miles who was a last minute replacement on the card. The two will meet at a catch-weight of 190 pounds.
Ruth’s last competition on the wrestling mat came at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials where he ultimately lost in the quarterfinals. Since then, Ruth has focused solely on his MMA game, inspired by former wrestlers who previously made the transition like Daniel Cormier, Bubba Jenkins and Phil Davis.
Ruth mentioned to MMAJunkie.com that Cormier has been especially encouraging. The UFC light heavyweight champion has assured Ruth he might be nervous, but will do just fine in the cage.
“When people tell me I’m going to be fine, I just feel this crowd of relief,” Ruth told MMAJunkie. “Nobody says, ‘Hey, be careful. Make sure you’re not getting punched.’ People give you things to worry about, but when someone says, ‘You’re going to be fine,’ it’s a whole breath of fresh air.”
Wrestling fans know what to expect from Fortune, who proved himself as one of the more powerful heavyweights on the mat in recent years. He is known for his high-flying technique not commonly associated with heavyweight wrestling.
Now training out of Arizona, the University World champion and NCAA Div. II champion for Grand Canyon is set to face Cody Miskell at 265 pounds tonight. Both men are making their pro debuts.
On top of Ruth and Fortune being on display inside the cage for the first time, 2008 NCAA champion Phil Davis will fight for the light heavyweight championship against Liam McGeary in the Bellator 163 main event. It is a banner week for Penn State wrestling as both Ruth and Davis are alumni and past NCAA champions for the Nittany Lions.
After a string of success in the UFC, Davis transitioned to Bellator in 2015 where he has now earned his shot at the belt. In his most recent outing, Davis defeated past U.S. World Team member and MMA great Muhammed Lawal by unanimous decision.
Bellator MMA has invested heavily in recruiting young wrestling talents to join its promotion. Ruth and Fortune are joined by the likes of 2016 Olympic Trials runner-up Aaron Pico, NCAA All-American Jarod Trice and four-time, undefeated NCAA Div. II champion Joey Davis in Bellator’s most recent collection of wrestling talent.
Ruth and Fortune will fight on the preliminary card this evening that will be live streamed on bellator.spike.com at 6:50 p.m. (ET). The main card featuring Davis will be broadcast live on Spike at 9 p.m. (ET).
Tonight the mixed martial arts world will get its first glimpse of the future.
Top prospects and former wrestling superstars Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune are set for their pro debuts at Bellator 163 held at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Ruth and Fortune are the first of the recent crop of wrestling to MMA converts to enter the cage. The expectations are high for both the fighters with both men already being scrubbed in as potential Bellator title contenders down the road.
In a recent interview with MMAFighting.com, Ruth established that he relishes in the pressure of it all. This is to be expected considering the grand stages Ruth has competed on throughout his wrestling career, winning the NCAA tournament three times and competing at the World Championships, World Cup and Olympic Trials.
"Pressure is what you make it,” Ruth stated. “I still have to get my job done whether I'm in the room alone or whether there are a bunch of people watching. I like the idea everyone has come to see whether I'm going to succeed for fail.”
Standing opposite Ruth on Friday night is fellow newcomer Dustin Collins-Miles who was a last minute replacement on the card. The two will meet at a catch-weight of 190 pounds.
Ruth’s last competition on the wrestling mat came at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials where he ultimately lost in the quarterfinals. Since then, Ruth has focused solely on his MMA game, inspired by former wrestlers who previously made the transition like Daniel Cormier, Bubba Jenkins and Phil Davis.
Ruth mentioned to MMAJunkie.com that Cormier has been especially encouraging. The UFC light heavyweight champion has assured Ruth he might be nervous, but will do just fine in the cage.
“When people tell me I’m going to be fine, I just feel this crowd of relief,” Ruth told MMAJunkie. “Nobody says, ‘Hey, be careful. Make sure you’re not getting punched.’ People give you things to worry about, but when someone says, ‘You’re going to be fine,’ it’s a whole breath of fresh air.”
Wrestling fans know what to expect from Fortune, who proved himself as one of the more powerful heavyweights on the mat in recent years. He is known for his high-flying technique not commonly associated with heavyweight wrestling.
Now training out of Arizona, the University World champion and NCAA Div. II champion for Grand Canyon is set to face Cody Miskell at 265 pounds tonight. Both men are making their pro debuts.
On top of Ruth and Fortune being on display inside the cage for the first time, 2008 NCAA champion Phil Davis will fight for the light heavyweight championship against Liam McGeary in the Bellator 163 main event. It is a banner week for Penn State wrestling as both Ruth and Davis are alumni and past NCAA champions for the Nittany Lions.
After a string of success in the UFC, Davis transitioned to Bellator in 2015 where he has now earned his shot at the belt. In his most recent outing, Davis defeated past U.S. World Team member and MMA great Muhammed Lawal by unanimous decision.
Bellator MMA has invested heavily in recruiting young wrestling talents to join its promotion. Ruth and Fortune are joined by the likes of 2016 Olympic Trials runner-up Aaron Pico, NCAA All-American Jarod Trice and four-time, undefeated NCAA Div. II champion Joey Davis in Bellator’s most recent collection of wrestling talent.
Ruth and Fortune will fight on the preliminary card this evening that will be live streamed on bellator.spike.com at 6:50 p.m. (ET). The main card featuring Davis will be broadcast live on Spike at 9 p.m. (ET).
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