RAMA, Ont. — It took a little bit longer than it probably should have, but Edmonton’s Ryan (The Real Deal) Ford remained perfect in Bellator with a decision victory over late replacement Kyle (The Alley Cat) Baker Friday night at Bellator 79 in the nearly-packed entertainment centre at Casino Rama.
Kicking off the televised card of the show just outside Orillia, Ont., the organization’s fourth at the venue and sixth in Canada, Ford came out flying with strikes against Baker, who was originally supposed to fight British striker Paul Daley on the card. Ford displayed his crisp and aggressive standup skills, leaving Baker wobbly on a number of occasions.
He also showed no fear about entering Baker’s guard after taking him down midway through the round, despite the fact that grappling has always been his weakness, at least early in his career.
“Ever since I’ve been training at Tristar Gym (in Montreal) I have confidence taking the fight anywhere,” the 30-year-old said after the fight.
Ford, who improved to 19-4, had Baker (12-7) against the cage late in the first and landed a number of hard blows but was unable to knock him out as referee Yves Lavigne gave Baker every opportunity to fight back.
Ford seemed to lose a step in the second and third rounds, leaving openings for Baker to get on top of him and also work for a couple of rear naked choke submissions. But he continued to land solid strikes and found a second gear in the final minute of the fight by reversing position and delivering a flurry of unanswered punches to seal a unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
“I was never in any trouble. If anyone thinks they can choke me out easily, they’re in for a surprise,” Ford said.
It was Ford’s third win in a row and second straight since joining Bellator. He would be a shoe-in for the promotion’s upcoming welterweight tournament, which is set to get underway in January, if not for legal issues currently preventing him from entering the U.S.
Ford spent time in prison when he was younger after being charged for his role in a violent home invasion, but he has turned his life around since — he credits his relationship with God — and has become a role model to many.
Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said they were working on the legal issues with Ford and was confident they will be resolved.
“My hope against hope is we can get the issues worked out for January,” Rebney said.
Four other Canadians were featured on the card. In the second-to-last fight, Montreal’s Guillaume DeLorenzi (9-1) put on an impressive showing on the ground to win his Bellator debut over American Jonny Carson (10-5). DeLorenzi controlled top position on Carson for much of the first round before sinking in a rear naked choke and getting a tap with 11 seconds left.
Earlier, Laval, Que.’s Vladimir Starcenov (2-1) was stopped by Russia’s Vitaly Minakov, who improved to 9-0 with a TKO 27 seconds into the second round, and in an all-Canadian battle, Montreal’s Christ Franck (4-3) won a split decision over Vancouver’s Marcus Aurelio (6-2) after the latter gassed as the fight went on.
Friday’s fight card at Casino Rama may have lost a couple of its big-name stars, when featherweight champion Eduardo Dantas could not fight due to a knockout he suffered in August in a fight outside Bellator in his native Brazil and Paul Daley was unable to get a visa to travel from the U.K. in time. But it ended up being a pretty good night of fights, featuring decent success for Canadians.
And with the large crowd of fans in the somewhat more intimate setting — almost all of the roughly 5,000 seats were filled — the organization plans to continue to return to the venue. Not to mantion make more trips to Canada.
“I love it here. We’ve been having such success the past year and a half,” Rebney said. “I would love to explore two or three other locations in Canada, but (Casino Rama) will be our Toronto home.”
It’s hardly a gamble when fighters and promoters both deliver. They did on Friday at Casino Rama.