411 Fighter Interview 9.16.11: Aaron Riley
Posted by Jon Butterfield on 09.16.2011
411mania's Jon Butterfield sits down for an exclusive interview with UFC veteran Aaron Riley! Check out the full article to see what he had to say about his fight with TUF 13 Winner Tony Ferguson next weekend and more!
For any young fighter looking to make their mark in MMA, 14-year veteran Aaron Riley represents a superb rolemodel. Fast approaching his 34th professional fight, Riley has been a regular combatant in the 170 and 155 lb divisions for a long, long time... and yet, in spite of a lack of mainstream exposure until recently, he is showing no signs of slowing down. If anything, his momentum is very definitely picking up!
Iron-jawed and double-tough, Riley's recent victories over Jorge Gurgel, Shane Nelson and Joe Brammer have added yet more worthwhile footnotes to a career already studded with a number of showpiece fights – not least a showdown way back at UFC 37 against Robbie Lawler – and yet going into his UFC 135 encounter with Tony Ferguson on September 24, he is likely to find himself the lesser known quantity, particularly amongst the sport's newer fans. That might not seem fair given the circumstances, but Riley isn't one to throw the toys out of the pram or have a tantrum about it. He's also not one to launch a bitter tirade against the younger, arguably less-deserving fighter. Instead, he is readying himself to turn a potential slap-in-the-face into a very real opportunity. How? By standing up, being a man, and getting ready to seize the opportunities coming his way; in this case, a bout with a TUF Winner to be aired live on national TV.
Speaking to me earlier this week, Aaron was happy to address the fickle nature of fighter popularity:
"I've been at this for a long time," Aaron laughs, "but it's too bad some of the fans haven't got to see some of my past fights because there [have been] some really entertaining fights... Unfortunately for me, my career started before The Ultimate Fighter television series [began] in the United States. That [show] has given exposure to a lot of fighters in a lot of ways [that weren't] previously available, so I think some of [the issue] is just due to the fact that my career started before that."
No doubt with the exciting, back-and-forth nature of Riley's fights, a TUF appearance would certainly have earned him plaudits far faster than the many bouts on the US independent scene he engaged in in the past – but such is the power of 'visibility' amongst modern audience members. Now that Riley is back in the UFC, however, and on a far bigger platform, it may be just a matter of time before he gets the credit he has long deserved.
"Hopefully when the [fans] become more aware of me and my background and my history in mixed martial arts [and see me putting on] exciting fights now, [then] they're gonna want to go back and see some of what I've done in the past. I've had a long, storied career so they [might] follow up and watch those other matches."
And if people aren't quite sure what they've been missing, how about this for starters?
Aaron Riley Highlights
With previous bouts with the likes of Chris "Lights Out" Lytle, Sam Morgan, Michihiro Omigawa, Spencer "The King" Fisher and Eddie Alvarez on his resume, there's certainly plenty to check out for those as yet unilluminated – and it's unlikely anyone will be disappointed!
Staying Ahead of the Game
Of course, during Riley's 14 years in the sport, it hasn't all been plain-sailing. Over the course of the last decade and a half many things have changed in the sport, not least of all the issue of 'weight classes'. Where once a fighter of Aaron's stature (Riley stands 5'8) could comfortably compete at welterweight, things have changed – and in acknowledging this, Aaron has been able to rejuvenate his career at lightweight.
"Now that there's becoming more parity among fighters, now that the skill levels [are getting closer] and people are becoming better athletes, I think that it's probably more important [to fight in the right weight class] than it was in the past. [For instance,] I've had team mates or friends that have competed against guys that were 100 lbs heavier but that were technically terrible - so it wasn't really an issue! But now [that] everybody's very highly trained, if you put a 145 pound fighter against Brock Lesnar or Alistair Overeem [it's] gonna be a pretty bad match!" Aaron says. "So the weight classes are more important than they used to be."
So what issues does this new rigidity in weight classes bring up?
"It [can be] tough because everybody cuts so much weight [these days.] If they implemented a same-day weigh-in policy it might make things a little easier on guys, [because] basically everybody would just bump up a weight class. But until that ever happens everyone's going to continue to cut weight and everything."
So would Aaron perhaps consider further cutting down to featherweight, like fellow 5'8 fighters Maximo Blanco and Ross Pearson are currently considering? Well, that one's easy for Aaron!
"No," he laughs, "I like eating too much and I already have a hard enough time to get to '55! There's no way I would ever attempt to get to featherweight."
A Global Force
Amongst other issues that affect those pursuing stardom in MMA is that of travel. Having fought in Brazil, Japan, Canada, Costa Rica, the United States and England, is that something Aaron is keen on continuing?
"You know what, I'm fortunate to have been able to travel and I've had a good time travelling, but I gotta say at this stage I don't think I'd wanna travel and fight anymore because it makes things a lot tougher as far as time zones and the acclimation aspect of that. I've [also] found that, in later years especially, it can be very difficult to find proper diet food when you're in a foreign country. And also, when the fight happens in a foreign country you usually don't have much time to sight-see, the cornerman has plenty of time to sight-see, but as the fighter you don't really get to see much except the inside of a hotel room, and that's really the same in every country."
So it's not as exotic as it sounds?
Aaron laughs: "Not quite, I would much rather do a fight nationally in the United States in my own country, and then travel to other places afterwards for vacation!"
A sentiment no doubt echoed by other veterans who've take the long road to success in combat sports! But that's not to say Aaron hasn't enjoyed it, with one fight in particular standing out:
"The [Michihiro] Omigawa fight, that was huge, that was a special time in my career because I really wanted to fight in PRIDE Fighting Championships so bad, and then in typical Japanese style they called me two weeks before the fight to say "Hey, you want a fight, we have one," so I had to hurry up and drop some weight and get over there! But it was a great experience, I mean the crowd was great, they're very respectful in watching the match; they don't yell out "Tear his head off," or "do this (or that)", they're very quiet and they clap whenever a good technique is applied. It was a great experience, I really enjoyed it."
But there was always the sense that Riley's career was heading towards one thing in particular: another shot in the UFC, the biggest stage in 21st Century MMA.
Back in the Big Time
When Aaron finally got his shot, he took it with both hands, defeating Jorge Gurgel at UFC 91 by unanimous decision. His foot was well and truly in the door, and stardom beckoned. But then, a cruel twist of fate...
In a fight with Shane Nelson at UFC 96, an overzealous referee called for a premature TKO finish at 0:44 of the very first round that Riley describes as "arguably the worst stoppage in the history of the [UFC]." Still, every cloud has a silver lining:
"Fortunately the UFC gave me a chance to rectify the situation, giving me a rematch with Shane Nelson a few months down the road, and I was able to come out on top of that one and the fight went the way it was supposed to go."
But there was yet one more disappointment around the corner for the gifted veteran. In a fight at UFC 105 in Manchester, England, opponent Ross Pearson launched a stunning flying knee that opened a cut between Aaron's eyes. As Riley recalls:
"He landed a good technique, he landed a flying knee and [cuts] happen when you get bluntforce trauma," Aaron laughs, "so I got the cut, but you know the thing that was upsetting to me was that I felt I could continue. The cut was right between my eyebrows, between my eyes basically, but it really wasn't impairing my vision. Had we been grappling on the ground, blood might have got in my eyes, but we weren't on the ground, the fight was completely standing, [but] they just decided to stop the match. I didn't agree with that stoppage but what was I gonna be able to do? There was the commission and the forces that be and they said "We feel this fight's finished, you're done." I mean, I didn't agree with it, but that's the way that the ball bounced that night."
So Aaron would have liked to have continued?
"Oh sure, yeah, yeah, I felt like Ross was having a good night and was performing well, but [me] and my coach felt that we were starting to see some things that we would be able to do. But overall I didn't feel it was a great performance. That's one that really gets under my skin," he says, continuing: "I just felt like it could have been a lot more exciting, [more] like Pearson's last fight with [Edson] Barboza. That was a very exciting fight, [and] I was hoping for something more along those lines. I just felt the fight could have been a lot better [and] more entertaining. I was very disappointed with the way it ended up."
Still, if that ranks as a 'disappointing' fight by Aaron's standards, a victory over Joe Brammer at UFC 114 went some way to making amends for Riley fans – and now, Aaron is looking to build on that with a win over Ultimate Fight 13 winner Tony Ferguson.
"I think [it's a big fight.] It's a good opportunity to get my name out there because Ferguson probably has more people that know him than me because he's been on television. I mean the other fighters that [I beat] in the UFC, they're all tough [too], but with the exception of Gurgel, I don't think the other guys had as much name recognition. You know, Brammer was never on [The Ultimate Fighter], Shane Nelson was, but he never made it to the championship fight or won the series, so I believe this fight will definitely be more of an opportunity for me to make a name for myself [than those other fights.]"
And although missing a fight in his home state of Indiana with Pat Audinwood was no doubt a huge disappointment for Riley, perhaps this is the fight the veteran truly deserves. Will he win? Well, we'll find out a week on Saturday, but Riley is confident:
"We'll be striving [for a finish], that's what we're always looking for. I don't like to make predictions, but we've been looking at tendencies in this particular fighter and we have a game plan in place. [There are] some loopholes in his game that we're trying to exploit, so hopefully if I perform according to the gameplan we'll get a decisive finish in this fight," Aaron says – but that gameplan is unlikely to include the 'Van Damme kick' he recently taught Jon Jones!
Aaron laughs: "I'm not that flashy when I fight, [but] Jon Jones is so talented there's no limit to the things he [can] pull off in the ring! I'm telling you right now, [though,] if he does pull it off, I'm gonna be all over him to give me credit for that!"
