10 Questions With Chris Ruyle (by Darrick Patrick)
Chris Ruyle is a professional mixed martial artist who has appeared in the King Of The Cage organization, competing in events such as Mangler and The Return.
Darrick: What was the path that led you to professional mixed martial arts?
Chris: A mixture of the way I grew up and what influenced me. I grew up a bit rough, so that developed my natural scrap and determination. For one reason or another I'm really competitive and I wasn't too much into team sports. Also, as funny as it sounds, probably watching Van Damme and Bruce Lee movies with my cousin when I was little!
Darrick: Who are some of the people that greatly influenced you while growing up?
Chris: My mom - she was one of the only people around. She led by example and raised me to be a good, honest, open, and caring person. Other than that, I didn't have very many people around me until we moved back down to southern California.
Darrick: What does a typical training session for you consist of?
Chris: For a fight - in the morning: 1 hour and 30 minutes with the jump rope, bag work (speed, heavy, double end), shadowbox/sprawls, and then followed by a run. At night: 1 hour and 30 minutes of Muay Thai/boxing followed by 1 hour and 30 minutes of BJJ/wrestling with 15-20 minutes of live rounds - no outs for fighters.
Darrick: Where could you possibly see the future of MMA ten years from now?
Chris: Hopefully well-established and respected as the top sport in the world as it should be. I just hope it doesn't become a big spectacle and popularity contest with better fighters being underrated (more so than now) for not having "the look" or not having the "on-camera savvy" of others. It's going to depend on the fans, they are the consumer, so the promoters will cater to what the fans will buy the most of and hopefully that is the better side of what MMA has to offer.
Darrick: What would you say to younger individuals looking to compete in martial arts?
Chris: Get in it for the right reasons - because it is something you truly want to test yourself with and compete in. It takes a ton of heart, courage, and determination. If you're lacking any of these qualities, I suggest you do something else. Finding a good school is really important, but it's up to you to train hard. I have a main camp that I run with, but I bounce around too.
I meet a lot of younger guys that want to (or are supposed to) compete in MMA, but they don't last in the sparring or rolling sessions. You have to get in fight shape: if you huff and puff after three minutes of sparring and takedowns, it's illogical to expect to last five rounds! Learn new techniques continuously, sharpen and expand your old tools, and get in shape. Being in shape to fight is a 24-hour job, it's comprised of everything: workouts, stretching, training, eating what you should be eating, drinking water, and down time.
Darrick: Who are a few of the people in the sport that you highly respect?
Chris: Jens Pulver - I've been watching him fight for years. He has some losses in big fights, but he's fought the top guys at higher weight classes. He's a natural 145 and he holds his own against guys who are a natural 180. Jens has more than earned his stripes and he doesn't get half the credit that he deserves.
Who else but Randy Couture? He brings everything to the game, and he's respectful and classy to top it off. He's an excellent ambassador for MMA and the sport is lucky to have someone like him at the forefront!
Darrick: Outside of MMA, what are your other interests?
Chris: Sport compacts, super sport bikes, and MotoGP. Always have to have a reptile or two, arts and music, and Xbox Live (gamer tag: TingOfNongPradu - if you wanna' play). I'm getting into digital photography and set to start school again next semester. I've just started to branch out into other hobbies and interests because MMA takes up a lot of time, and for the last five or six years it's all I cared to put my time into.
Darrick: If you had a working time machine, what are some of the points in history that you would visit?
Chris: I'd go back to the day that I lost one of my best of the best and prevent what happened. Aside from that, I would only care to see the future: like eighty years from now and up, to see the things I won't see and see what advances are made.
Darrick: Tell us something that most people don't know about you.
Chris: I dress in drag and moonlight as a local lounge singer/prostitute. Just kidding - I don't know, I'm pretty open about myself.
Darrick: What is your oldest memory?
Chris: Answering question nine - I'm like a gold fish! Really, I'd say living in a trailor in northern California, looking across the ways at the people's yard decorations and wishing that toothpaste was candy.
FOR OTHER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS BY DARRICK PATRICK:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=4974388&blogID=343519835
You can also check out Chris Ruyle in the following places:
Official Chris Ruyle MySpace Site:
http://www.myspace.com/89894822
Chris Ruyle On Fight Finder:
http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?FighterID=16516
Tags: Chris Ruyle Darrick Patrick Interview Interviews Mma Mixed Martial Arts Kot
