Ryan Ford (born March 8, 1982) is a Canadian

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

and

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. A professional competitor since 2007, Ford has also formerly competed for Bellator, the WSOF, the MFC, TFC, and the AFC.

Mixed martial arts career

Maximum Fighting Championship

Ford began his career with

Maximum Fighting Championship Maximum Fighting Championship was a Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Edmonton, Alberta. MFC events were broadcast on The Fight Network, AXS TV (formerly HDnet) in North America and most recently TSN2. FC’s former home, in C ...

, On February 22, 2008, at MFC 15 Ford defeated Pete Spratt via rear-naked choke in the second round. On May 9, 2008, at MFC 16 Ford defeated CJ Fernandes via rear-naked choke submission in round one. On July 25, 2008, at MFC 17 Ford was defeated by Pat Healy via arm-bar submission, the fight was for the MFC Welterweight Championship. On September 28, 2008, at MFC 18 Ford defeated Laverne Clark via guillotine choke in the second round. On February 20, 2009, at MFC 20 Ford was defeated by Pat Healy via split decision in a rematch for the MFC Welterweight Championship. On September 10, 2010, at MFC 26 Ford was defeated by Douglas Lima via armbar submission in the second round. On November 12, 2010, at MFC 27 Ford defeated Pete Spratt in a rematch via rear-naked choke submission. Ford has twice left the

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 ...

-based MFC organization due to contract disputes.

Independent promotions

Ford signed with the Edmonton-based promotion The Fight Club. On March 19, 2010, at TFC 10 Ford defeated former Ultimate Fighter finalist Tom Speer via rear-naked choke submission in round one on March 19, 2010, to retain the TFC Welterweight Championship. On May 19, 2011, Ford fought UFC veteran Karo Parisyan at MMA Live 1 in

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

, After the first two rounds, Ford caught Parisyan with a knee and cut his forehead, causing the doctor and referee to stop the fight giving Ford the win via doctor stoppage.

Aggression Fighting Championship

On June 10, 2011, Ford Returned to the Aggression MMA organization at ''AMMA 7: Confrontation'' defeating Nick Hinchcliffe in round three via TKO due to punches. On September 16, 2011, at ''AMMA 8: Unfinished Business'', Ford was defeated by David Hulett via guillotine choke in round one. On February 11, 2012, Ford defeated Ricky Goodall at AMMA 9 via TKO due to elbows in round one. On March 23, 2013, Ford fought for the renamed

Aggression Fighting Championship World Series of Fighting (Canada) formerly Aggression Fighting Championship, Aggression MMA and Armageddon Fighting Championship is a Canadian Mixed Martial Arts promotion based out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The promotions made their debuts i ...

promotion in Edmonton, Alberta. Ford defeated Brendan Tierney via KO in the second round at AFC 17. Ford faced Ultimate Fighter vet Michael Hill on July 5, 2013, at AFC 19 for the AFC Welterweight Championship. Ford defeated Hill via rear-naked choke submission in the fifth round to win the AFC Welterweight Championship.

Bellator Fighting Championships

Ford signed with Bellator making his debut On May 4, 2012, at Bellator 67, Ford defeated Luis Santos via TKO due to knees and punches in the second round. On November 2, 2012, at Bellator 79, Ford took on Kyle Baker at Casino Rama in Ontario, Ford won via unanimous decision.

World Series of Fighting

On December 5, 2013, it was announced that Ford signed a multi-fight deal with

World Series of Fighting The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

’s Canadian branch and is expected to debut under the WSOF banner in early 2014. Ford is expected to make is WSOF debut at WSOF Canada 1 against Joel Powell for the inaugural WSOF Canadian Welterweight Championship. Ford won via knockout due to a front kick and punches in just 53 seconds of round one to win the WSOF Canadian Welterweight Championship. Ford was scheduled to fight Bristol Marunde on June 7, 2014, at WSOF Canada 2. He pulled out after getting injured during training. Ford faced

Jake Shields Jake Shields (born January 9, 1979) is an American former mixed martial artist and podcaster. As a mixed martial artist, he was the last Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Champion, the only Elite XC Welterweight Champion, a former Shooto Welte ...

in the main event at WSOF 14 on October 11, 2014, in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Although he dropped Shields early in the fight with a left hand, Ford eventually lost the fight via rear naked choke submission in the first round. Ford was set to face Yushin Okami in a Middleweight bout for the main event of

WSOF 21 World Series of Fighting 21: Palmer vs. Horodecki was a mixed martial arts event held on in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This event aired on NBCSN in the U.S and on Fight Network in Canada. Background The main event was originally scheduled to fe ...

on June 5, 2015. However, Ford announced that he had to pull out of the June fight with Okami.

Unified MMA

On January 6, 2022, it was announced that Ford would be making his return to

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

on March 4, 2022, at Unified MMA 43 against Dawond Pickney. He won the bout via triangle choke in the second round. Ford made his return on May 27, 2022, at Unified MMA 45 facing off against Robert Hale for the Unified MMA Super Welterweight Championship. He won the fight via first-round technical knockout. Ford faced Fay Bursell on March 31, 2023, at Unified MMA 50, losing the bout via rear-naked choke in the third round.

Professional boxing career

Ford made his professional boxing debut on February 13, 2010, winning a four-round majority decision over Willard Lewis. On June 8, 2015, it was announced that Ford was retiring from MMA to focus on a career in professional boxing. Ford fought on September 11, 2015, against Gary Kopas competing for the KO Boxing promotion. He won a four-round unanimous decision. On September 20, 2015, it was announced that Ford will fight on October 16, 2015, against Antonio Dos Santos at Dekada Premier Fight Night. He won via knockout in the first round. On November 13, 2015, it was announced that Ford will fight on December 4, 2015, against Alvaro Enriquez for the KO Boxing promotion. He won via technical knockout in the second round. On February 22, 2016, it was announced that Ford will fight on March 11, 2016, against David Whittom for the KO Boxing promotion. He won via knockout in the first round. On April 22, 2016, Ford faced former Thailand Olympic Gold and silver medalist Manus Boonjumnong. He won via fourth-round technical knockout after his opponent was no longer able to continue entering the fifth round. On September 9, 2016, Ford faced former World Boxing Council Cruiserweight Champion Victor Manuel Palacios for the KO Boxing promotion. He won the fight via unanimous decision. On October 29, 2016, it was announced that Ford would face IBO Asia Pacific Light Heavyweight Champion Sam Rapira on February 17, 2017, for the Vacant UBO Light Heavyweight Championship. He won the fight via TKO to become the UBO World Light Heavyweight Champion. On November 10, 2016, it was announced that Ford would be facing Mario Baeza for the KO Boxing promotion on December 2, 2016. He won the fight via unanimous decision. On March 13, 2017, it was announced that Ford would be making the first defense of his title against former WBC Asian World Champion New Zealand fighter Robert Berridge on May 27, 2017. He won the fight via technical decision after an accidental head butt. On August 10, 2017, it as announced that Ford would be facing British fighter

WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxin ...

European Light Heavyweight Champion Anthony Yarde on September 16, 2017, for the vacant

Intercontinental Light Heavyweight Championship. On August 25, 2017, it was announced that the fight was canceled after a contract dispute. On September 6, 2017, it was announced that Ford would be facing Joaquin Murrieta on September 9, 2017, for Rixta Promotions. He won the fight via corner stoppage in the fourth round. On November 17, 2017, it was announced that Ford would be facing former WBA Super Middleweight Champion Fedor Chudinov for the WBA International Super Middleweight Title on December 9, 2017. Ford lost via twelve round unanimous decision. On February 9, 2019, Ford faced off against Nick Hannig for the vacant WBC International

light heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

title. Ford lost via twelve round unanimous decision. On April 6, 2019, Ford faced off against German Olympic boxer Serge Michel. Ford won the fight via knockout to win the WBC International Silver light heavyweight title. On August 31, 2019, Ford faced undefeated

Joshua Buatsi Joshua Buatsi (born 14 March 1993) is a British professional boxer. He held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) interim light-heavyweight title from 2024 to February 2025. At regional level, he has held the British light-heavyweight title twic ...

which ended in controversy after what appeared to be a low shot from Buatsi, the fight was stopped awarding Buatsi the victory via knockout

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 24–6 , Fay Bursell , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Unified MMA 50 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:58 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 24–5 , Robert Hale , TKO (punches) , Unified MMA 45 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:56 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 23–5 , Dawond Pickney , Submission (triangle choke) , Unified MMA 43 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:01 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–5 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , WSOF 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:29 ,

Edmonton, Alberta 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 ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 22–4 , Joel Powell , KO (front kick and punches) , WSOF Canada 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:53 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 21–4 , Michael Hill , Submission (rear-naked choke) , AFC 19 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 4:32 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 20–4 , Brendan Tierney , KO (punch) , AFC 17 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:11 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 19–4 , Kyle Baker , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 79 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Rama, Ontario Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 18–4 , Luis Santos , TKO (knee and punches) , Bellator 67 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:24 , Rama, Ontario Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 17–4 , Ricky Goodall , TKO (elbows) , AMMA 9: Aggression MMA 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:37 ,

Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–4 , David Hulett , Submission (guillotine choke) , AMMA 8: Unfinished Business , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:35 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 16–3 , Nick Hinchliffe , TKO (punches) , AMMA 7: Confrontation , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:18 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 15–3 , Karo Parisyan , TKO (doctor stoppage) , JEG: MMA Live 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:26 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 14–3 , Johnny Davis , TKO (punches) , AMMA 6: Edmonton , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:06 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Pete Spratt , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MFC 27 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:07 ,

Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–3 , Douglas Lima , Submission (armbar) , MFC 26 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:48 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Tom Speer , Submission (rear-naked choke) , TFC 10: High Voltage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:29 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , John Walsh , KO (punches) , TFC 9: Total Chaos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:13 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Markhaile Wedderburn , Submission (rear-naked choke) , TFC 8: Salvation , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:24 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Dave Mazany , TKO (punches) , TFC 7: Full Throttle , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:28 ,

Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 , Pat Healy , Decision (split) , MFC 20 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Nabil Khatib , Decision (unanimous) , Raw Combat: Redemption , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Calgary, Alberta Calgary () is a major city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a Metropolitan area, metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the List of ...

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Laverne Clark , Submission (guillotine choke) , MFC 18: Famous , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:30 ,

Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 , Pat Healy , Submission (armbar) , MFC 17: Hostile Takeover , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , CJ Fernandes , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MFC 16: Anger Management , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:32 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Pete Spratt , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MFC 15: Rags to Riches , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:01 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Mike Sorenson , TKO (punches) , MFC 14: High Rollers , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:51 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Adil Abbas , Submission (rear-naked choke) , ECC 6: Hometown Heroes , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:21 ,

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Randy Valette , TKO (punches and elbows) , MFC 13: Lucky 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:07 ,

Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Aaron Gallant , TKO (punches) , MFC 12: High Stakes , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:15 ,

Canada ,

Professional boxing record

Personal life

Ford is married to wife Nina & has two children, a son, Ryan Jr. and a daughter, Bella. He is the son of retired professional boxer Al Ford. In 2003, Ford was the participant in an armed robbery home invasion. During the robbery, Ford used a knife on the home owner and cut the victim's left index and middle finger to the bone. The victim's wife and two children were present in the house at the time. Ford served a four-year sentence for this crime.

Championships and accomplishments

Boxing

*Universal Boxing Organization **UBO World Light Heavyweight Championship (One time) *

World Boxing Council The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...

**WBC International Silver Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)