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

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

* {{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