Ryan Schultz - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Ryan James Schultz is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

. Before the closing of the International Fight League

International Fight League

The International Fight League was an American mixed martial arts promotion billed as the world's first MMA league. It was founded on January 7, 2006 and closed on July 31, 2008...

, he was the promotion's Lightweight Champion.

Biography

Ryan Schultz grew up in North Platte, Nebraska. He was a member of his high school wrestling team, graduating in 1996. Schultz has a degree in criminal justice from the University of Nebraska, where he continued to compete in wrestling, coached by Matt Lindland

Matt Lindland

Matthew James Lindland is an American mixed martial artist, Olympic wrestler and politician. He won the Oregon Republican Party's nomination for the Oregon House of Representatives, District 52 seat on May 20, 2008....

. After graduation, Ryan worked as an apprentice plumber in Colorado, before embarking on his MMA career.

Ryan Schultz is a member of Team Quest, training with his former wrestling coach, Matt Lindland.

Early career

Schultz was entered into his first MMA fight by friend. The fight took place at Dan Severn

Dan Severn

Daniel DeWayne Severn is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, notable for his success in the early years of Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. Severn has fought and wrestled for many mixed martial arts and professional wrestling promotions, including King of the...

's promotion Dangerzone, in April 2004, in North Dakota

North Dakota

North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....

. Schultz had not trained at all for the fight, but won by KO, after just 45 seconds. A few days after the fight, Lindland asked Schultz to join Team Quest, an offer which Schultz accepted. Over the next three years, Schultz competed in 20 fights in various promotions, including the WEC

World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...

, Hawaiian promotion SuperBrawl, Absolute Fighting Championship, and SportFight - a promotion founded by Matt Lindland and Randy Couture

Randy Couture

Randy Duane Couture is a retired American mixed martial artist, Greco-Roman wrestler, actor, a three-time former heavyweight champion, two-time former light-heavyweight champion, former interim light heavyweight champion and UFC 13 tournament winner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

.

On June 18, 2004, Schultz won an eight man lightweight tournament, at SuperBrawl 36 in Hawaii. Schultz won his first fight that night, against Mike Aina

Mike Aina

Mike Aina is an American mixed martial artist currently training at BJ Penn's MMA in Hilo, Hawaii. Aina's most memorable bout was against former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz at EliteXC: Uprising, which he lost by a controversial Split Decision even after Aina knocked Diaz down with...

, by a split decision. In the semi-final fight, Schultz submitted Deshaun Johnson by a rear naked choke in the first round. In the finals, Schultz defeated Roger Huerta

Roger Huerta

Roger Huerta , is an American mixed martial artist. He initially gained exposure by competing in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and later Bellator Fighting Championships.-Early life:...

, who verbally submitted due to a dislocated jaw.

International Fight League

Ryan Schultz entered the IFL

International Fight League

The International Fight League was an American mixed martial arts promotion billed as the world's first MMA league. It was founded on January 7, 2006 and closed on July 31, 2008...

promotion as a member of the Portland Wolfpack

Portland Wolfpack

The Portland Wolfpack were a team in the now-defunct International Fight League and based in Portland, Oregon. The Wolfpack were coached by Olympic silver medalist in Greco Roman Wrestling, Matt Lindland. The Wolfpack were established in the middle of the 2006 season...

team, with a record of 13-7-1. He defeated Cam Ward by TKO in his first fight in the promotion, but lost to Los Angeles Anacondas

Los Angeles Anacondas

The Los Angeles Anacondas were an International Fight League team based in Los Angeles, California. The Anacondas were the first IFL team to have gone through not just one coach but two...

' Chris Horodecki

Chris Horodecki

Christopher Horodecki is a Polish-Canadian mixed martial artist. He is best known for his fights in the WEC and the IFL.-Mixed martial arts career:Horodecki was born in Poland and raised in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada...

in his second fight, two months later. In his third fight, on December 29, 2006, he faced Quad Cities Silverbacks' Bart Palaszewski

Bart Palaszewski

Bart K. Palaszewski is a Polish-American mixed martial artist. He fought for the Quad City Silverbacks of the now defunct International Fight League. Following the UFC/WEC merger, Palaszewski is now under contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

. Schultz dominated the first and second round of the fight, but got caught by Palaszewski's right hand in the third round, and lost by KO

Knockout

A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...

. The match was awarded "Fight of the Night" honors.

After winning his next three bouts in the IFL, Schultz was selected to replace John Gunderson

John Gunderson

John Edward Gunderson is a is an American mixed martial artist. He used to fight with the UFC and currently fights under the Tachi Palace Fights banner....

(himself a replacement for Shad Lierley

Shad Lierley

Shad Lierley is an American mixed martial artist. He fought for the Seattle Tiger Sharks of the now defunct International Fight League.-Bio:...

) in a fight against Chris Horodecki for the IFL lightweight

Lightweight

Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....

championship. In the bout, which took place at the IFL - World Grand Prix Finals, Schultz was able to avenged his first loss to Horodecki in the IFL. Schultz pinned Horodecki's right hand early in the first round, continued to pound him until the referee stepped in at 2:51 of the first round, and was crowned the first IFL Lightweight Champion.

Before the IFL promotion folded, Schultz successfully defended his title twice, defeating John Gunderson and Deividas Taurosevicius, both by unanimous decision.

World Victory Road - Sengoku

In July 2008, Schultz agreed to a five event deal with the Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese promotion Sengoku

World Victory Road

World Victory Road is a defunct Japanese Mixed Martial Arts organization which promoted the Sengoku Raiden Championship in Japan. The organization was formed in 2007 following the purchase of Pride FC by Zuffa. It operated in conjunction with the Japan Mixed Martial Arts Federation...

. In his first fight for the promotion, at Sengoku IV, Schultz lost to Mizuto Hirota, by KO in the second round. Schultz faced Jorge Masvidal

Jorge Masvidal

Jorge Masvidal is an American mixed martial artist of Cuban descent who trains with American Top Team. Currently signed to Strikeforce, Masvidal's record includes notable wins over Yves Edwards, Joe Lauzon, Satoru Kitaoka, Ryan Schultz, Billy Evangelista and K.J...

in his next fight, which took place less than a month after Sengoku IV. Masvidal was able to knockdown Schultz in the first round, and finished him by TKO using strikes on his grounded opponent.

Personal life

Ryan married his high school sweetheart Jennifer, and they have a son named Kilian. Ryan and his family live in Fort Collins, Colorado. Ryan and Ed Herman opened an MMA gym in Fort Collins, Trials Mixed Martial Arts. www.TrialsMMA.com

Ryan is featured in the mixed martial arts documentary Fight Life
Fight Life
Fight Life is a feature length documentary on the sport of mixed martial arts. The film is directed by independent filmmaker James Z. Feng and produced by RiLL Films. The film focuses on the lives of professional mixed martial arts fighters outside the cage, primarily profiling Jake Shields, and...

, set for release in the summer of 2011, the film is directed by independent filmmaker James Z. Feng and produced by RiLL Films.

Mixed martial arts record

|-
|Loss
|align=center|20-12-1
|

Kazunori Yokota

is a Japanese mixed martial artist and judoka. Yokota became famous fighting in the Japanese MMA promotion DEEP, and eventually debuted WVR Sengoku, his only fight in a cage was his MMA debut, which was in GCM Demolition in 19 September 2004 against Keita Nakamura, the fight resulted in a...

|KO (punches)
|World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 10

World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 10

World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 10 was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Victory Road on September 23, 2009. The event included three Gold Cup matches featuring the winners of Sengoku: Gold Cup South Korea versus the winners of Sengoku: Gold Cup Japan. It was broadcast live in North...

Saitama, Saitama

' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|20-11-1
|

Jorge Masvidal

|TKO (punches)
|World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 5

World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 5

World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 5 was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Victory Road. The event took place on September 28, 2008 at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan...

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|20-10-1
|

Mizuto Hirota

is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He is a former lightweight champion in World Victory Road's Sengoku-promotion, the former lightweight champion for Cage Force, and the current DEEP lightweight champion...

Saitama, Saitama

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|20-9-1
|

Deividas Taurosevicius

Deividas Taurosevičius

Deividas Taurosevičius is a Lithuanian mixed martial artist.-Career:Taurosevičius started his professional MMA career in 2002, primarily competing on cards in Massachusetts and New Jersey...

Uncasville, Connecticut

Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...

, USA
|Defended IFL Lightweight Championship
|-
|Win
|align=center|19-9-1
|

John Gunderson

John Edward Gunderson is a is an American mixed martial artist. He used to fight with the UFC and currently fights under the Tachi Palace Fights banner....

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, USA
|Defended IFL Lightweight Championship
|-
|Win
|align=center|18-9-1
|

Chris Horodecki

East Rutherford, New Jersey

East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....

, USA
| Became First IFL Lightweight Champion
|-
|Win
|align=center|17-9-1
|

Aaron Riley

Aaron Matthew Riley is an American mixed martial arts fighter who currently teaches MMA at Warrior Gym in Alexandria, Virginia. He competes in the Lightweight Division.-Ultimate Fighting Championship:...

Hollywood, Florida

-Demographics:As of 2000, there were 59,673 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of...

, USA
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|16-9-1
|

Savant Young

Trenell "Savant" Young is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter.-Mixed martial arts:Although his first professional bout was in 1998, in June 2006 Savant decided he wanted to begin training mixed martial arts full-time. In February 2007 Savant won his first fight in the...

Everett, Washington

Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...

, USA
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|15-9-1
|

Uncasville, Connecticut

Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...

, USA
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|14-9-1
|

Bart Palaszewski

Uncasville, Connecticut

Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...

, USA
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|14-8-1
|

Chris Horodecki

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

, USA
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|14-7-1
|

Portland, Oregon

, USA
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|13-7-1
|

Hermes Franca

Hermes França Barros is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes as a lightweight.-Early career:França made his professional MMA debut in November 2001. He quickly earned an undefeated streak of 6-0, drawing the attention of the UFC.-First UFC run:...

Boca Raton, Florida

Boca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, incorporated in May 1925. In the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about...

, USA
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|13-6-1
|

Portland, Oregon

, USA
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|12-6-1
|

Kuniyoshi Hironaka

is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division.After Mizuto Hirota vacated the Cage Force Lightweight Championship, Kuniyoshi Hironaka defeated Yoshihiro Koyama at Cage Force 12 to become the new belt holder....

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|12-5-1
|

Rich Clementi

Richard Thomas Clementi is a journeyman American mixed martial artist. He holds notable wins over Terry Etim, Sam Stout, Fabio Holanda, Melvin Guillard and Anthony Johnson.-Mixed martial arts career:...

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...

, USA
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|12-4-1
|

Las Vegas, Nevada

, USA
|
|-
| Draw
|align=center|12-3-1
|

Portland, Oregon

, USA
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|12-3
|

Hiroyuki Abe

, also known as Abe Ani, is a Japanese former mixed martial artist, currently retired from fighting and teaching full time at his gym, Abe Ani Combat Club...

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...

, USA
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|11-3
|

Gresham, Oregon

- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 90,205 people, 33,327 households, and 22,695 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,071.6 people per square mile . There were 35,309 housing units at an average density of 1,593.8 per square mile...

, USA
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|11-2
|

Atlantic City, New Jersey

, USA
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|10-2
|

Jason Dent

Jason William Dent is an American mixed martial artist. The Lightweight competitor has held several regional championships, most recently he won the IFBL Welterweight Championship. He runs the GriffonRawl MMA Academy in Mentor, Ohio, and previously hosted an MMA oriented radio talk show on WWGK...

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|9-2
|

Roger Huerta

Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...

, USA
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|8-2
|

Honolulu, Hawaii

, USA
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|7-2
|

Mike Aina

Honolulu, Hawaii

, USA
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|6-2
|

Gil Castillo

Gil Philip Castillo is a retired American mixed martial artist who has studied under Cesar Gracie. He made his UFC debut at UFC 33 where he suffered a loss from Dave Menne via unanimous decision in a match to crown the first UFC Middleweight Champion...

Lemoore, California

Lemoore is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of 230 feet . It is part of the Hanford–Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, USA
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|5-2
|

Honolulu, Hawaii

, USA
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|5-1
|

Portland, Oregon

, USA
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|4-1
|

Denver, Colorado

The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...

, USA
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|3-1
|

Longview, Washington

Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the "Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area", which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 36,648 at the time of the 2010 census and is the largest city in Cowlitz County...

, USA
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|2-1
|

Lemoore, California

, USA
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|1-1
|

Lemoore, California

, USA
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1-0
|

Jon Henderson

Jon Elliott Henderson is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins. He also played one season in the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders and helped them to win the Grey Cup in 1971...

New Town, North Dakota

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,367 people, 488 households, and 318 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,031.6 people per square mile . There were 512 housing units at an average density of 760.9 per square mile...

, USA
|

External links

Ryan Schultz MMA record from Sherdog

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.