Ryan Jimmo: 'The Sky Is the Limit for How Much My Skills Can Increase'

“I feel like I’ve grown so much as a fighter since re-signing with the MFC and moving to Edmonton,” said Ryan Jimmo. “The sky is the limit for how much my skills can increase and I get excited just thinking about it.”

While writing about fighters and their confidence moving forward in their careers has long been a cliché in mixed martial arts journalism. The fact of the matter remains, Ryan Jimmo is—and always has been—more than confident that his future is very bright.

A near lifelong competitor in karate, Jimmo, a native of Saint John, New Brunswick, turned to mixed martial arts after realizing the limited career opportunities that were waiting for him in amateur karate competition.

Shortly after he began training in mixed martial arts and despite dropping his first match—the lone blemish on his professional record—Jimmo quickly established himself as one of Canada’s brightest MMA prospects.

Following his first match, Jimmo would go on to win nine-straight bouts—including victories over Jesse Forbes and Rick Roufus—and subsequently re-signed with the Edmonton, Alberta-based Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) promotion in May of 2009.

Since re-aligning with the MFC, Jimmo, who has since notched victories over Mychal Clark, Marvin Eastman, Emanuel Newton, Wilson Gouveia, Dwayne Lewis and most recently, Zak Cummings, has established himself as one of Canada’s top light-heavyweights. 

Currently, Jimmo, the MFC’s reigning 205-pound kingpin, is slated to return to action in October to defend his MFC light-heavyweight championship belt—one of his most prized possessions—against a an opponent that is yet to be determined.

Jimmo, who has already, for all intents and purposes, cleaned out the MFC’s light-heavyweight division, is expecting the organization’s president, Mark Pavelich, to bring in a well-known free agent to test the man they call “Big Deal.” Jimmo is quick to point out that he doesn’t have any qualms about contending with any newly-signed 205-pound competitor. 

“I don’t think there’s anyone on the MFC roster for me to fight right now. I believe Mark will have to bring in a ‘name-fighter’ to challenge me. A Keith Jardine or Gegard Mousasi or maybe [Renato “Babalu” Sobral]?” said Jimmo, in an exclusive interview with Ed Kapp. “Who knows? But I would like a fighter who is going to help build my brand as well as the MFC’s.”

While Jimmo is also quick to point out that he isn’t overlooking any potential matchups in the MFC, he is looking forward to having the opportunity to make his mark in the UFC.

“If I signed with the UFC tomorrow, I think that I would fare very well. Within one or two fights, I would be ranked in the top-10 in the world. [Antonio Rogerio Nogueira], Matt Hamill, Tito Ortiz—these are all names that I think I could beat quite convincingly right now.”

“It would take me another year to crack the top-five and then a year or two to be the champ.”

Although his ambitions are lofty to say the very least, Jimmo, who according to our most recent conversation intends on pursuing careers in film, science and writing when his fighting days are behind him, has long been influenced by the philosophy of a certain championship body-builder.

“You know, Dorian Yates had an interesting philosophy; he wanted to be the greatest that he could possibly be. His challenge wasn’t so much an external one against his challengers, but an internal one with himself. I feel a lot of champions have this same attitude—whether they recognize it or not—and I feel that I have is as well.”

“I do believe that as long as I constantly challenge myself to be as perfect as I can possibly be, then my goals of being the greatest in the world are within my grasp.”