Ricky was born on February 8, 1984 in Halifax, NS. Growing up in Dartmouth, NS, Ricky had a keen interest in martial arts and their mysterious moves and systems since he was very young. From the age of 4 years old Ricky could be found throwing kicks and punches with friends in the neighborhood. At the age of 5 years old, Ricky and a friend Chris were sitting in their tree house reading Black Belt magazines and praying to God for the “powers of Bruce Lee”. Ricky also had a passion in music. Most of Ricky’s family played guitar and sang, so naturally this became and interest of Ricky’s as well. He started playing at age 12 and spent hours every day in front of the stereo learning the likes of Nirvana, Black Sabbath, Metallica and more. Rock and Metal became a huge influence, encouraging him to start a band called “Tanis” with close friend Jeff Kennedy.

Jeff would also be an integral part of Ricky’s life in another way, as he was a brown belt in Chito-Ryu Karate – Ricky’s first martial arts discipline. Jeff would spend hours every day teaching Ricky sparring techniques and various important aspects of Karate. This would be the start of Jeff’s influence on Ricky as a martial artist, and would open a whole world of fighting for them both.

At age 15 Jeff would go on to compete nationally on the Chito-Ryu Karate team, ranking 5^th in Canada. This would be his first brush with the importance of cutting weight, strict dieting and training. Ricky watched with a close eye and began to see the importance of these aspects and how they could affect training.

When Ricky and Jeff entered grade 11 they began to find a new interest in sparring at a different level. On their lunch breaks Ricky and Jeff would go to Ricky’s apartment and move all the furniture aside and box with 12 oz boxing gloves. They would basically spar for the entire lunch break then go back to school sometimes bloodied and punch drunk. Every Friday night Ricky and Jeff would round up some of their friends in school and hold a “Friday Night Fights” meeting in Ricky’s driveway where the guys would put on boxing gloves and basically fight for rounds.

From here on Ricky would begin training Kickboxing at a local YM-YMCA with various instructors. This sport opened a new aspect of Ricky’s stand up game, adding fluidity and power to his sharpened technique. As the years passed Ricky would start and stop his fighting training, adding in some Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with a local club Judo club, until at 22 years old the reason to train started to change.

In April of 2006 the Extreme Cage Combat, owned by Halifax Titans instructors Kevin Taylor, Rob Walker and Peter Martell, would open the doors of the Halifax Forum to the first ever mixed martial arts event in the martimes. “ECC – The Beginning” would feature local Nova Scotia fighters Roger Hollett, Jason MacKay, TJ Grant and others. Attending this event was a turning point in Ricky’s life, and from this point on he knew he needed to try it.

In September, 2007, fate would present itself yet again. Local MMA fighter Jason MacKay was announcing to the local martial arts club in New Glasgow (now named Pictou County Titans) that he would be holding his own mixed martial arts promotion called “Absolute Fighting Canada” in Trenton, NS, a town beside New Glasgow. Immediately Ricky told Jason that he wanted on this card.

With only 5 weeks to train and prepare, Ricky had a long way to go. Agreeing to a fight at a catch weight of 200 lbs, and currently weighing 230 lbs, Ricky had to start working hard learning the ins and outs of dieting and weight cut preparation. Training would start and instructors Jason Rorison and Jaret MacIntosh would begin preparing Ricky and the other local fighters.

On September 14, 2007 Ricky weighed in at 199 lbs, and his opponent, Rick Aston weighed in at 195. Aston, a 6’3 lean 195 lbs would present a scene not so different from “Rocky IV” as the differences in the two body types were painfully obvious.

Absolute Fighting Canada would kick off on September 15, 2007 with an explosive night of fights. As Ricky’s fight started, the reach advantage and fitness level of his opponent would be presented as Ricky had quite a fight on his hands. With ten seconds left in the first round Ricky would get mounted by the athletic Aston, as he rained down punches. In nothing short of a miracle the buzzer for the first round would sound and Ricky would have 1 minute to compose himself. In rounds 2 and 3 Ricky would win over the crowd and the judges in a display of heart and courage, earning himself the decision victory. The taste of winning and euphoria of the crowd was instantly addictive.

After close to two years of inconsistent training, minor injuries and a big move to Halifax, Ricky would start training again, now with the Halifax Titans, for his second MMA bout. Weighing 235lbs and agreeing to fight at 195 lbs, Ricky would be battling the scales. With the help of CrossFit Halifax’s workout regime, as well as personal trainer Josh Rioux’s dieting advice, Ricky weighed in at 194lbs. On May 15, 2009, he was ready to face Moncton, NB fighter Kurt Pelletier. With a minor tear in his rib, Ricky fought anyway, agreeing to leave it all in the cage. The fight was stopped at 4:35 in the 1st rd due to strikes, declaring Pelletier the winner.

As painful as a loss can be, Ricky took this as an opportunity to improve and come back stronger. In July, 2009 Ricky would step in the cage again at 185lbs., winning by submission in the first round. This would be the first fight of a four fight winning streak for Ricky, until stepping his game up to fight in Montreal, PQ in June 2010. Ricky would face Alex Garcia, a prodigy of UFC-Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre and the Tri-Star team. In a battle of transitions Alex would relentlessly work to keep Ricky on the ground to try to get a TKO win. At 4:05 in the first round Ricky would get caught in a bad position, allowing Garcia to catch a rear-naked choke, forcing the tap out. This would be Ricky’s first fight in the 170 lbs. category.

Only 3 weeks after this fight, and no time off, Ricky would get into the cage again, for his 8^th bout against Tim Skidmore, a fighter with 17 previous fights on July 9, 2010 for “Friday Night Fights.” In a dominating performance without taking any damage, the fight would be finished at 1:50 in the first round due to tap out for Ricky.

With five fight offers on the table before Christmas of 2010, Ricky would have his hands full deciding the future of his fighting career. With a great team behind him and the driving passion he has found in fighting, there are no obstacles big enough to stand in his way.