2013-01-11
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Ace of Spades Sits Down with Gim Ruut

Fighter profile of Gim Ruut by Kc Cooper

Ace of Spades Clothing in New York annouced at the beginning of the year that their very first Ace of the Month was Gim Ruut. They recently sat down with Gim and held a Q&A so the Tycoon Universe could get to know him a little better.

AOS: You were born in Des Moines Iowa, USA, which is known more for it's wrestling, but you ended up training BJJ instead..........how did you first find out about BJJ???

GR: I've been kind of an odd guy in my childhood. I started wrestling when I was 4 years old, but never really got into it. One day a friend of my father came with a tape of the UFC 1 and I fell in love right away with it, specially the submissions. Those were things that I wouldn't practice a lot in wrestling, so I wanted to do BJJ right away. And my father got me into classes with Rodrigo, a brazilian coach that lived in Des Moines for a long time and he was my first master in it. I'm glad that I watched that tape.

AOS: Why did you choose MMA over a normal job???

GR: I always loved fighting. I wasn't the best wrestler, but I hanged nicely with the tough guys, but I just one a few small tournaments. In BJJ however, I used to go everywhere and compete at the highest level I could that time. I even went to Brazil for a couple of tournaments and my parents always supported me in this career, because I was serious about it. And I always thought that mma would become my real job and I'd really need to give it 100% to be the best.

AOS: You now train in Rio de Janeiro, why did you choose to move there???

GR: As I said, I've come a few times to Brazil to train. In one of these, I met Felipe. He's the main coach of our team today and he's the manager of all the guys of the team. I already knew a few words in portuguese because of Rodrigo and he really showed me a great structure. He believed in my potential and he wanted me to move to Rio to have a better shot at it. At first I was a little bit twisted about moving there, so far from home... But today I can tell that here I have another home and I love being here, fighting here... Everything's great.

AOS: Your first four professional fights were in the QFC, what took so long for some of the bigger orgs to notice your talents???

GR: I can actually tell you that I went almost a year fighting a disease that I got here, it 's a rare one, but I'm totally cured now. That took a lot of time and I believe that I'd be way better if it didn't happen. So there was no way that I'd go to an org so soon. I wanted to test myself in local competition and I had a few problems with that time off, no training.. I wasn't so strong that time, but I managed to get the wins I needed and then GPG showed up. They had a good project and were just starting... It felt right to finally move into an organization. And it went well, I can tell you.

AOS: You are known for you amazing submission victories, but you recently received your first knockout victory, how did that feel???

GR: I've been working a lot on my stand-up. The coaches at the gym are one of the best... They do amazing things. Sunnah Hadith, the first one of the team, used to submit guys and not usually go for KO's, but his hands are so damn good right now man... He 's just knocking people out cold... He's another great role model for me and that show that we're based on jiu-jitsu, but don't count our hands out. I just got my first KO victory and I want more, but definitely I'd love to take a limb home.

AOS: You have spent the early part of your young career at Bantamweight, but have recently moved up to Featherweight. Why the change in weight class???

GR: I am a bantamweight, that's no secret in that. I always looked to fight in that class and I did it pretty fine. I had those back-to-back fights against Spock Beard and I felt that GPG's BW division was to thing to keep on, specially after losing twice for the new champion. Featherweight there was thin too and I got an offer from TWD, with ID restricted fighters, but they only had a 145 division. No lightweights or bantamweights. I decided to move there for a new challenge and the division is very deep. One of the toughest in the game and I decided to get some muscle to be stronger there. I used to walk around 146 so I need to bulk up. I got to 159 and that's where I stand today. But I definitely would like to fight at 135 again.

AOS: You have won three “Fight of the Night” awards at The Wild Den, which has made you a fan favorite. Do you try to put on exciting fights???

GR: Yes, I do. I've been in back and forth battles a lot of times... Unfortunately I've lost a couple of them, but they were great fights. I almost got the win, but in the end the opponent did what he needed to do and won. That was the case in my last fight, against the champion Grabowski. I got tired in the fourth round, cause it was a tough match and I went after him all the time... Then he was able to defeat me with the knockout. I love fighting, it's something great to do and the love I get from fans is great. I plan on keep making them happy with those fights, but I want to be happy winning this battles too.

AOS: You are only 23, yet you have had 19 professional fights (with your 20th coming soon), how do you do it???

GR: GPG was the time where I had a lot of fights in a short amount of time. Personally I don't like to rest a lot between fights, only if they are the big ones that I need to focus and develop some strategies to it. But I feel like that's the way I am. I love fighting and I love being active. I just plan on keep doing that the right way and getting the best of it. It's being great so far.

AOS: Why will 2013 be Gim Ruut's year???

GR: I believe that I'm getting better every single day. That's a cliché of course, but it really is what I feel. I'm developing my game a lot and making up for that year that I was sick. I'll do my last fight in the contract against Julio Calbrentes on Jan 19th and then I'll think about what's next. I have no problem fighting anywhere in the world, but I'm not moving out of the team. They support me a lot and I'm glad I can do the same for them. BW or FW, I hope that I can get another belt or maybe more this year. Maybe I'll stay at TWD and try to get the belt again or I'll change for a while and find other places to fight. I'll probably do a third fight against Beard in the future, but that's not what I'm planning right now. I hope to keep fighting, be healthy and everything will be fine. I'll do my best to make it my year.

AOS: Anything you would like to tell the Tycoon Universe???

GR: First I'd like to thank for the opportunity of being the first Ace of the Month, it's been a pleasure and I hope the best for you guys. I'd like to thank all the fans that support me on the internet, when I fight... They're always great and I truly love their support. I'd like to remind you guys that Gim Ruut's not going anywhere and I'm here to prove myself as a great fighter. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Thanks!

 

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