I. MMA basic background:

Kakutougi: You went from Shooting Gym Yokohama, to Shamrock Submission Academy (for just a short while), to being freelance, and finally joining Enson's Purebred, which you are part of now. What got you to Shooting Gym Yokohama?

Ryan: I first came over to Japan when I was 17, right before my 18th birthday. Before that, I was studying Japanese, and training judo at the local police station and judo school. I wanted to do MMA, but I was in the countryside and didn't have a place to train. I trained judo instead. I got the brown belt. Then during my final semester in high school, I flew over to Japan and got my black belt in the Kodokan. Then I flew back to attend college in NY, Long Island University. After the first semester, I got the college to send me to study in Japan. They had a study abroad center in Kyoto. At that time, around 1997, there were no MMA gyms there in Kyoto. So I got permission to live in Yokohama with a local friend. Around then, I came across the Kakutougi Tsushin magazine's fighter database. The top fighters were Shooto. I contacted the Shooto commission to ask if they had a gym in Yokohama. They gave me the location info. Next day, I was at their door step saying "here I am, teach me".

Kakutougi: You reportedly started out with kung-fu and judo. What got you into them? Was anyone in particular inspiring?

Ryan: I was athletic in general. I did soccer, football, a bunch of sports. When I was a kid, I did a bit of karate, from like 8 to 9 years old. Then I got focused into school sports….had my martial arts blank. A friend was doing tae kwon do. We sparred some. At the same time, I was interested in kung-fu. At that time, Asian martial arts were a boom. You know, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Chinese kung-fu movies. In my town, there was a kung-fu gym taught by a teacher from Hong Kong. A legit guy. I got into (it). By then, I was the starting quarter back, but I quit to focus on kung-fu. The teacher's cousin was a judo black belt. He came to town, started up a judo class at the school. I joined; did all three. By that I mean, judo and two styles of kung-fu. One's "Wingchun", the style Bruce Lee started with, and the other is "Jowga", a mixture of northern and southern Chinese kung-fu. Then my kung-fu teacher took me to Hong-Kong to learn some more.

Before all that, since the age of three, I've been sitting on the mat. My father was a wrestler, went onto to coach in high-school and college. My whole family wrestled. I didn't want to become a wrestler. Karate Kid was on TV. It was the trend. I preferred to strike than to wrestle. My father was disappointed. Now I look back and regret it.

Kakutougi: How has your family reacted to your career decisions? Has their reaction changed with the years?

Ryan: My father was always supportive. I was successful at kung-fu. I've been good at it. My mother was more worrisome, you know, like mothers get. And she didn't come see many of my fights. My father came to see all my football games, kung-fu matches, and MMA fights before coming to Japan. My father's been behind me. He's been my inspiration. If I had any problems, he was there for me. He passed away 4 to 5 years ago. Since then my mother came to see my fight in Deep against Joao Roque. Now she's pretty supportive. She doesn't know that much about the sport. But she supports me. That's the only thing I know. She's come to term with it. She respects it. She's happy for me.

Kakutougi: Since when have you been using your Japanese style ring name? Who picked those Chinese characters? (The Chinese characters can be seen here.)

Ryan: I was sitting at a table at a restaurant with a bunch of my Japanese friends. They wanted to get me a cool Japanese ring name. At that time, I didn't know much kanji. There was like four, five friends. And they came up with it. I made the official change in 2001.

II. Past MMA fights:

Kakutougi: Did Shooto change through the years, and if so how?

Ryan: Shooto went through a lot of changes. When I started, you had to go through the rankings. You started at B or C class. You went up through the ranks. Then if you were invited, you could go to the All-Japan championships. Only when you placed in the All-Japan championships, you could turn pro. Those who didn't place, they'd go to other leagues. But recently, as there's a lot of other organizations to get into the big show, Shooto isn't as strict about that progression system. I'm not sure, but I think the recent Shooto don't require one to place in the All-Japan championship to turn pro. I'm proud I did go through the ranking though. I'm the only foreigner to have gone through it and turn pro.

Kakutougi: You’ve fought Gomi, Shaolin, Kawajiri, Boku and Mishima amongst others. How would you describe each of their MMA styles?

Ryan: Gomi was mentally tougher than any fighter I've ever fought. Mental toughness is his key characteristic. Shaolin has amazing jujitsu. I didn't want to do jujitsu with him. But I couldn't do anything to prevent the match turning into a jujitsu match. Kawajiri, right now, he's a really tough fighter, deserving respect. But when I fought him, he wasn't as good. I lost just due to carelessly dropping my hand when punching. As a fighter, he's physically strong. Boku, I've trained with him for my fight against Takumi. He's a friend, an associate, and a good fighter. Well-rounded, good boxing, and learned a lot of wrestling at Killer Bee. Mishima is funny; a character; fun to be around. In the ring, when I fought, he felt really strong. He's funny, even after the fight, I hang with him, and he's just really entertaining.

Kakutougi: How do you comparatively rate them?

Ryan: #1 Gomi, #2 Kawajiri, #3 Shaolin, #4 Boku, #5 Mishima; Shaolin isn't that well rounded but he makes you fight his game. But rankings are pretty bogus at the top level. After a certain level, everyone has the tools to win. What matters beyond is the ability to actually put everything together on fight day. It's one thing to do it in the gym; it's another to do it in the ring, and on the day.

Kakutougi: You lost against a very tough Kanomata in the ADCC qualification tournament. But in the Contenders’ grappling events, you’ve beaten Grabaka’s Yamazaki and RJJ’s Komuro, and drew (along with Uno) against the tag team of Uematsu and Mishima. In addition, in MMA, you’ve beaten ADCC qualifications runner-up Fujiwara Masato, Paraestra grappler Yasumi Kohei, Paraestra grappler Takumi, Joao Batista Yoshimura and Sugie Daisuke. You seem to have a strong grappling background while people seem to not consider you a grappler type. Please elaborate on this, what got you so good at grappling; why do your grappling skills seem overshadowed by your label as a striker type fighter, so forth.

Ryan: People think I'm a striker, and think I'm not good on the ground. At that time, Shooto equaled grappling. After I came back from Frank's gym, I got the scientific mindset of taking the best, to be a step ahead, so I decided to go to Thailand to work on striking. But my base was always grappling. Everyone was grappling. I might as well fight the game their weak at. And along that line, I came to be known as a striker.

Kakutougi: You apparently ventured into Shootboxing, where you fought Abe Masaru. What got you in Shootboxing?

Ryan: I've always been training at the Shootboxing gym. They asked me to fight. Unfortunately I lost that fight but it was a learning experience. Getting into there with kickboxers helped improve my MMA.

Kakutougi: In a MMA fight, do you prefer taking the fight down to the grappling game, or to keep it standing generally? Stylistically, how do you approach a fight?

Ryan: Depends. Every fight is different. I can grapple and strike. I'm well-rounded. I can adjust according to the opponent's quality.

III. Present:

Kakutougi: Since the Ironlife interview (Located here. Questions for this interview were prepared so as to not overlap recently covered topics), who of note have been your training mates? Do you still train at G-square, and the Kevin Yamazaki place?

Ryan: G-square is now A-square and the gym is no longer part of Kevin Yamazaki's complex. I still train there though. I also still train at Watanabe boxing gym in Gotanda. I do more boxing now. In purebred, I do more realistic MMA, MMA-based drills. Trying to get up while someone is trying to pound me away, stuff like that.

Kakutougi: Do you train throughout the year, or do you mainly train around fights?

Ryan: I'd like to train throughout the year, but right now I'm running my own dojo, "Kaminari dojo" (www.kaminaridojo.com), and my own clothing line. When I don't have a fight, I train couple times a week. When I do sign up for a fight, I train 6 times a week, two to three times a day.

Kakutougi: Do you follow any special diet?

Ryan: In the past, I was getting some bad advice, and I trained without taking carbs. It helped me cut weight, but fighters aren't bodybuilders, and when I fought, my body gave up on me. Now I make sure I get my carbs. I want to train and feel healthy.

Kakutougi: Do you still teach English?

Ryan: I teach twice a week. A part time thing. Most of my time is spent running my dojo, and my clothing line. But a lot of my students will be coming to see my fight.

IV. Future:

Kakutougi: You’re due to fight Obiya Nobuhiro in the April 11th Deep event for the Deep Light weight champion belt given up by Mishima. How do you evaluate Obiya?

Ryan: Obiya is a really tough fighter. I was surprised when I saw his video. What stood out was his will to fight. I saw him getting choked, he refused to give up. I'm going to have to either choke or knock him out. He's not going to give up. He's got crisp punches, good gnp, and really good cardio. He reminds me of Gomi of a few years ago.

Kakutougi: What’re your MMA goals for the near future? If you win against Obiya, you'll most likely get into Pride.

Ryan: I've been doing this for a long time. I'm taking one fight at a time. And enjoying (it). But I do want to win a belt. One of the major reasons I'm fighting now is to promote my brand but I also want to finally get my overdue belt; a title shot. I started out fighting to achieve something I haven't done. I've been number one, but never a champion. And I want to get into the big show.

Kakutougi: What advice do you have for those who are thinking of getting into the sport of MMA?

Ryan: Don't do it for the money, do it for love of the sport. You've got a long road ahead of you. Those days you're in the gym, trying to improve, those are what you're going to remember. A lot of people say they want to achieve this or that, but once you get it, your motivation sinks. Enjoy it while you're striving, that's the real enjoyment, the process of trying to achieve. I look back on how hard I trained, that others weren't doing, and that's what got me this far. And I still get good offers now; that's the thing to be most proud of. Enjoy it while doing it. It's hard, but that's what you're going to remember. I'd be in the gym, with Frank or Enson trying to beat the shit out of me, but I kept going, and that's what you're going to remember. The strive.

Kakutougi: You have a clothing label right? What's the name? Why the name, why the clothing line? Where can people see and perhaps buy them?

Ryan: The clothing label is Nuffsaid Apparel. It just came out on February 1st. I wanted to release a clothing line by and for fighters. A lot of clothing lines out there aren't made by people who know what fighter wants. In regards to the name, it's about belief in yourself, you do what you do, and people will see, and they'll know what it's about. It's confidence in yourself. People can get them at www.nuffsaid.tv The new fight shorts will be in in a week or two. Go there and check it out. We'll be coming out with a few more products in a couple more months.

Kakutougi: I hope it all goes well. Any final message?

Ryan: I've been busy training for this fight, I got the title match next week, I want the belt, that's it. Nuff said.

Kakutougi: Thanks for your time.

Pictures Courtesy of Susumu's Gallery