Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Matt Erickson and Ken Hathaway

Get to know TUF finalist Ryan Loder, who defends Valentina Shevchenko’s no water incident

Ryan Loder

Age: 33
Record: 6-1
Nickname: Man of Steel
Division: Middleweight
Opponent: Rob Valentin (10-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
First-round submission of Tom Theocharis, decision win over Omran Chaaban

On getting to the UFC

Ryan Loder

“I’m normally sitting on that side watching my teammates (get interviewed), so it’s a dream come true to be on this side now. I’ve seen this over and over and over again, and I’ve played it over in my head and I’ve put myself in these shoes a lot of times before so. Being here on this side, it feels natural. It feels like I’m supposed to be here.”

On his TUF experience

“It was tough, that’s for sure. It was great. It put me out of my element, put me in a place that I can grow a lot. I think discomfort makes you grow a lot more and I feel like that that was where I was. (Coach) Valentina (Shevchenko) showed that she was going to do a fight camp like a real training camp and I grew a lot from it. Most of my stuff comes from more of a wrestling base, and hers was a lot of muay Thai style, getting out of my element, training with people that I might fight later on and then becoming friends with them and then learning a lot from them after that.”

On opponent Rob Valentin

Rob Valentin

“I’m excited for it. Yeah, I feel I feel great for the matchup. They didn’t show this either. I told Dana White (after my first win) when they were like, ‘OK, who do you want to fight (in the second round)?’ And I said Omran (Chaaban) for the first one, but all three of them are bad matchups for me, (so it doesn’t matter). They’re all strikers and I’m a wrestler. I’ve got to dictate where the fight goes (against Valentin).”

On Shevchenko’s no-water incident on ‘TUF’

Valentina Shevchenko

“Normally, I don’t really drink water during practice. It’s not a big thing for me. I normally drink a lot of water before practice, anyway. There was only one time that (Shevchenko) said it. If people wanted water, they could get it. She never was like, ‘Oh, no – you can’t get water.’ Most of the people just listened. I didn’t get water – it just made you a little bit more mentally tough.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 62.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.