Ryan Ford reports after Shields fight that he broke arm before fight

World Series of Fighting welterweight Ryan Ford had a tough time at WSoF 14 Saturday night, dropping Jake Shields early in the 1st, before losing via RNC at 4:29. What fans did not know was that Ford broke his right arm before the fight, as he details in a video recorded on October 2, some nine days before the fight.

“Part of this game is putting your body through hard work,” began Ford, who showed the X-ray. “And unfortunately, two days ago, on Tuesday, at the end of sparring, I broke my arm. I found that out yesterday, after seeing the doctor for my X-ray results.”

“I have a broken ulna bone – the same one that I actually broke with Michael Hill, and it’s just above the plate that was put in my arm. You know, I don’t have a choice but to fight.

“It’s funny – I have the toughest challenge ahead of me on October 11 against Jake Shields and now I get thrown with another challenge, fighting him with a broken arm. We’re not in a sport where insurance is available where you get injured nine days, ten days out to a fight and you get paid. It don’t work like that. You step into the cage, you get paid.

“That’s how i feed my wife, my two kids, I put a roof over their head. The only option I have is step into that cage. Put on a helluva fight, and get paid, broken arm or not.”

Fighting Jake Shields is going to be tough under the very best of circumstances. Fighting him with a broken right arm is super human.

However, for obvious reasons, fighters are not allowed to compete with a broken arm. WSoF president Ray Sefo announced that he had no idea.

Neither I nor any of my staff at World Series of Fighting had any prior knowledge of Ryan Ford’s condition until he went on the record about it after last night’s fight,” wrote Sefo. “Like all of the other fighters who competed last night, Ryan went through all of the steps necessary to receive clearance by the athletic commission to fight. Had we been aware that Ryan was suffering from an arm injury, we would have immediately pulled the plug on his matchup with Jake Shields and secured another suitable opponent for Jake.

“As both a fighter and a promoter, I take the health of our fighters very seriously, and I am also sensitive to the needs of fighters to support their families with the income they make from competing. Financial needs can always be addressed and worked out, but health is something that no one can afford to play with, so I sincerely hope that Ryan and the other athletes on our roster learn a lesson from this, and will be 100 percent transparent with us and disclose to us any pre-existing medical conditions in the future.

Edmonton Combative Sports Commission executive director Pat Reid cast doubt on the story.

“He was medically cleared and had no problem at the weigh in,” said Reid. “He did knuckle push ups that he could NOT do with a fractured forearm. We have no knowledge of any such injury.”

While every fighter fights hurt, entering a fight with a broken arm crosses the line. The ECSC will undoubtedly investigate further and take appropriate steps.