Aaron Riley – On Steady Ground

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By Thomas Gerbasi

For Aaron Riley, a veteran’s veteran in the sport of mixed martial arts, the road to stability in this hardest of games has been a bumpy one filled with 12 years of fights, wins, and losses before he finally found his home in the UFC the third time around.

“Things have been going well,” said Riley, who is gearing up for his fourth consecutive fight in the Octagon this Saturday against Ross Pearson in Manchester, England. “It’s always good to have the long-term contract for multiple fights. I’ve been matched up well and I’ve been really pleased with everything the way it’s been going.”

Riley’s first two times in the UFC certainly didn’t fit that bill. In 2002, he engaged in an entertaining war with Robbie Lawler at UFC 37, but with so few shows available at the time, if you weren’t winning, you usually didn’t get more than one shot to make a first impression, and Riley fell short that night via unanimous decision. Four years later, Riley returned, only to have a broken jaw derail him in his bout against Spencer Fisher, and again, it was off to the salt mines again to rebuild his resume for another invite to the Octagon.

That third invite came in late-2008, and this time Riley made sure he got the win as he pounded out an exciting three round win over Jorge Gurgel. A controversial stoppage against Shane Nelson followed almost four months later, but in their rematch in August, Riley evened the score with a clear-cut three round win.

“I definitely wanted to get the win over him because I really felt that’s what should have happened the first time around,” said Riley of the return bout with Nelson. “I was kinda disappointed that I didn’t end the fight decisively though. I was trying, but he’s a very tough competitor and he proved to be tough to finish. But I was just happy to be able to get the win and move forward from that.”

On Saturday, the 28-year old from Tell City, Indiana moves forward towards the British Isles to make his UK debut against Pearson, The Ultimate Fighter season nine lightweight division winner. It’s a homecoming celebration of sorts for Pearson, but Riley, who has competed in plenty of hometowns that aren’t his own while compiling a 28-11-1 record, is looking to do his best to make sure it’s not a triumphant homecoming for ‘The Real Deal’.

“I know I’m gonna be the bad guy because I’m going up against one of their own, but I’ve been on that side of the fence before though, so for me, it’s just about going in and trying to give a good fight,” said Riley.

That’s probably the first and last time you’ll see Riley referred to as ‘the bad guy’, and you almost expect that by the time Riley and Pearson (two mirror images of each other stylistically) finish engaging in their fight, the fans at the MEN Arena will have plenty of cheers for both men.

That doesn’t mean Riley is looking to just throw down with reckless abandon and play into his opponent’s strengths. On the contrary, this is a veteran who has added more than a few things to his game over the years, with perhaps the most important addition being the presence of Greg Jackson in his corner, which happened almost by chance when he left California with training partner Joe Stevenson to work in Albuquerque.

“It’s just a great fit for me,” said Riley of his work in the Jackson’s MMA gym. “It’s got some trainers and training partners like a lot of gyms do, but the thing that works is that Greg just relates to everyone so well and there’s just a great atmosphere and team camaraderie, and that makes all the difference. I know that other people can say that about their teams as well, but it’s a really great fit for Joe and myself.”

That sense of family is also something that was missing in Riley’s career before, and now that he has it, he sees the difference it’s made in his life and career.

“I feel like I never had that up until now,” he admits, “and right now, I can tell you that I feel really good here. I have all the support that I need and I feel like everybody will do everything in their power to help me prepare, and I feel the same way towards them, because I’m gonna do everything in my power to help them get ready for their matches. It’s a really great support system to have.”

So on fight night in Manchester this weekend, expect an Aaron Riley who’s better than last time, yet not as good as he may still end up to be in the future. That’s a nice place to be at for any fighter, but especially for one who’s earned his share of the spotlight the hard way.