Last weekend, it was fight day for our main instructor and gym owner in his professional MMA debut. https://steemit.com/mma/@zekepickleman/fight-day-mma-time He didn't even participate in any amateur fights (except cornering Kris in his fights) and it was a fight 10 years in the making.

Opponents ducked him because he was a black Belt in Jiu Jitsu. The fight promoter commented at 1 point that his pro debut would not even sell any tickets or be worth the trouble. Ryan eventually found his fight 2 weight classes below and shed 20 pounds to make it happen.

Here is how it shook down from beginning to end

https://www.facebook.com/prospectmma/videos/1753087108168310/

The video has not been released from the promotion yet on youtube but is available in its entirety as I saw it in person on facebook.

Here is an interview and post-fight breakdown with the details for those liking the story

Spoiler!

You really don't know what to expect in someone's first fight. Will grappling hold out against striking? You can turn a black belt into a white belt with 4 well placed strikes. Will take down defense negate any grappling advantage?

What a performance. Submission attempts, plenty pf stand up, and some of the most fluid grappling transitions I have seen in an MMA match. I am so proud of Ryan and all he did to finish the match in that manor. I am impressed with Seth and his ability to escape as a fellow purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

2 classy doods and an incredibly entertaining fight!

I took some good shots but here are some courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/prospectmma

It was often a tangle of arms and legs in a very technical fight.

One of about 3 serious transitions to arm bar submission attempts.

Ryan always does encourage us to get to our feet even in grappling matches.

He took the back often and this time was transitioning to another arm bar.

The stand up game was very strong and varied from elbows to knees and everything in between. He spent a good amount of time resting in the clinch which is hard to do.

This was a close one. Ryan told me he was having a tough time grabbing and securing the right position in the arm bar because of slippery skin, the gloves, and maintaining dominant position.

It went the full 3 rounds and was scored a unanimous decision in the right direction.

There is a pretty funny interview at the end where Ryan calls the promoter out for telling him he wouldn't sell any tickets. 130 people came from out of town to pay to see the fight. Awesome.

Thoughts on the fight? Grappling vs striking?