Nick Ring is healed and well prepared for his UFC 127 match up with UFC newcomer Riki Fukuda.
A front running to win the eleventh season of The Ultimate Fighter, Ring was forced out of the competition due to a reoccurring knee injury. He underwent corrective surgery and fells the knee is 100-percent.
“The knee is perfect,” Ring told Heavy.com. “I had to go get the surgery done again, so that would be my third ACL. That was very unfortunate. I spent the last few months just rehabbing and doing everything I need to do to get it better. It looks like it’s worked. The kneed feels very solid, so I’m ready to go, ready to rock.”
Ring has split his training for this fight between Calgary and the Tristar Gym in Montreal.
“There is a lot of good training partners out here (at Tristar). Of course there’s Georges (St. Pierre). There’s Denis Kang, Rory MacDonald. Lots of good guys,” said Ring. “It’s hard not to get better when you’re surrounded by such talent.”
“I still train out in Calgary as well, but it never hurts to have more friends. There’s just such a high skill level out here that I had to come out. I’ve got to up my game, right? This is definitely helping me,” added middleweight fighter. “I’ve got all my friends back home at B.D.B (Martial Arts) that I’m training with as well. I spent a good month out there preparing and I’m finishing my last month out here preparing for it. You can never have enough help.”
Ring is familiar with his opponent, Riki Fukuda, who also makes his UFC debut at UFC 127.
“He’s 17-4. He’s on a seven-fight win streak and DEEP Middleweight Champion,” said Ring. “I think this is going to be a tough fight. I’ve watched some video on him. I think he’s got a lot going for him as far as a good MMA athlete.
“I think it’s a really good match up. I do. He likes to brawl, and I like to brawl.”
“I don’t have any big predictions,” added Ring. “This is my UFC debut as well. I’m just going to go in there and just do what I do.”
UFC 127 takes place on Feb. 26 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. It is headlined by welterweights B.J. Penn and Jon Fitch.
