Rio Wells is a former Canadian Football player and MMA fighter. He is from
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
, Alberta.
Personal life
Wells was born in
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
in 1973. He attended
John Ehret High School, the largest public school in the state of
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
. He was a star for the school's
Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
. As he played in high school with future NFL quarterback,
Kordell Stewart, He was offered a scholarship to
Fresno State
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 ba ...
. He Later went to the
CFL
The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...
to play football for five years.
Football career
Wells Started playing football at the age of six. By him starting at such a young age, he was able to receive help and tips to prepare him for high school. He started his Football career at
John Ehret High School in
Marrero, LA, where
Reggie Wayne
Reginald Wayne (born November 17, 1978) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver for 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football f ...
would eventually start his career. He played alongside
Kordell Stewart. By graduation, Wells had scholarships to many respected colleges including
Fresno State University
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 ba ...
, where he ended up.
As soon as Wells landed in Fresno, He loved it instantly.
MMA Junkie
/ref> He played well in college as a Defensive back, but he didn't make it to the NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
. Luckily, he attended CFL
The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...
tryouts and made it to the Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...
. He wasn't shining in the CFL. He Played for 5 years with the CFL.
Mixed martial arts career
When he neared the end of his playing career, Wells realized he needed some
steady work. He began working with troubled youths as a mentor.
It's a job he continues now, and he said the work helps
him keep his fighting career in perspective.
One of the first sports Wells tried after football was hockey.
(He was, after all, living in Canada.)
But then he joined a rugby team, which led to his introduction to MMA.
After their matches, the team would find a television to watch UFC events. Wells knew the sport existed, but it wasn't his first choice for his post-football athletic endeavor.
Not wanting to later regret failing to try, Wells located a local gym and got himself into every class he could find. The instructors liked his natural ability, so they encouraged him to come to the team tryout after just weeks.
Within two months of his first class, Wells was in his first fight, at an Evolution Fighting Championships show in September 2009.
"It lasted all of 20 seconds," he said. "The guy landed a kick to my quad, and I could feel the cramping coming, so I knew I couldn't go into another round. I said, 'I just need to end this as fast as I can,' and it was a knockout."
Within six months, Wells would be 3-0 with a string of quick victories. Since, he has prepared for his next chance – while continuing to help the 32 boys under his care work to improve their own lives. He can't make fighting his full-time profession, but he said that might actually help his career.
Wells is now 5-1-0 in his MMA career.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Rio
1974 births
Living people
Canadian male mixed martial artists
American male mixed martial artists
Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing
Mixed martial artists utilizing judo
Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Canadian male judoka
American male judoka
Canadian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
John Ehret High School alumni
Players of Canadian football from Atlanta
20th-century American sportsmen