Official tryouts for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter are set to take place on April 27th in Las Vegas and there will be no shortage on Canadian talent for the 155lb and 170lb selection process. Leading up to this audition of a lifetime, I’ll be featuring a recurring article on MMAOddsBreaker where I put the spotlight on those Canadian fighters making the trip down to Sin City later this month. Name: Ryan Dickson Age: 25 Height: 5’10 Weight Class: Lightweight (competing at Welterweight) Record: 10-3 (2 TKO/KO’s, 8 Sub.) Fighting Out Of: Burlington, Ontario (Joslin MMA) Last Fight: Lost via Unanimous Decision to Jason Fischer (HKFC 42) Fun Fact: Influenced by boxing star Gennady Golovkin At just 25-years old, Dickson has been making noise on the Canadian regional circuit for years and was featured on MMAOddsBreaker last month as one of the “Five Canadians that belong in the UFC.” Dickson was the Hard Knocks lightweight champion and recently lost his title last month against Bellator veteran Jason Fischer. While losing a championship can be deflating for any fighter, Dickson is keeping an upbeat attitude ahead of the TUF tryouts on April 27th. “I definitely take the positives in every situation.” Dickson told MMAOddsBreaker. “I watched [the fight], as painful as that was. I had just a terrible strategy and game plan. I tried to do a style that my coach [Jeff Joslin] is phenomenal at and I didn’t do it very well.” He added “When you watch old boxing fights, if you watch Muhammad Ali, he sticks the jab and he moves. If you watch Mike Tyson he pressures forward. If either of those guys tried a different strategy, like if Tyson was trying to fight like Ali, sticking and moving, he would have not have been the force that he was. [Fischer] fought a great gamplan, my gamplan was atrocious. I definitely learned probably the most out of all of my fights. So the next fight that I have, it will be a huge difference. I’m excited for what the future holds, in [showcasing] my style.” Ahead of the tryouts, Dickson has a major advantage heading into the competition as he previously tried out for TUF Nations: Canada vs. Austrailla last year. “I have an edge because I know what [the UFC is] looking for. I feel like I’m exactly what they’re looking for. They want people that are going to be standing out. Everyone thinks you have to act crazy on there, but that’s not my plan. I plan on being myself and show that people will get something out of me being in the UFC. I want to stand for something more than just being a fighter.” One area where the Joslin MMA product believes he can improve over last time is in his personality. He feels like this time around he’ll try and give the UFC brass a true indication of what his personality is all about. “I’m going to be a bit more outgoing. Last time I just answered their questions, and I answered them in depth. I enjoy doing interviews and I feel like I’ve got a lot of practice. But now this time, I’m really going to show who I am and not leaving myself regretting not saying something. Everyone thinks you have to act crazy on there, but that’s not my plan. I plan on being myself and show that people will get something out of me being in the UFC. I want to stand for something more than just being a fighter.” In the past Dickson has competed at both lightweight and welterweight. A luxury for him in this competition is that he can compete in either weight class, but because of the amount of weight cutting that’s involved, Dickson believes welterweight is the better fit. “I’ll be doing welterweight. I can make lightweight but it’s hard. There is not a chance I can make 155 pounds, be able preform at my best and enjoy the actual experience of being the show. Because you have to make weight two or three times in six weeks.” One of the ways the Burlington native believes he will separate himself from the other competitors is his backstory. Fans and pundits may not be aware but Dickson actually overcame testicular cancer in 2013 at just 23 years of age. After that experience, he admits he’s became more humble. He now hopes if he successfully makes it into the UFC, that he can be an inspiration for others. “After my cancer situation I tried to be less about myself and trying to be more motivational. I want to try and help people. Because of the books I read, I did not get down on myself when I was diagnosed. I just want to try and get that message out there. Also I want to be the first guy that finishes every single [opponent] to win the Ultimate Fighter. I want to be a guy like Uriah Hall, [who] was seen as a killer; I just want to be exciting. It’s a spectator sport and I want people to watch my fights because they want to see skill, finishes and learn something.” Currently, one of Dickson’s biggest inspirations is boxing star Gennady Golovkin. Watching him compete, it’s a constant reminder for Dickson to always try to be exciting during his fights. “He’s one of those guys that people watch because they know somebody is going to get knocked out. They know they’re going to see somebody who is exceptional in skill. That’s what I want to be, I want people to be like ‘you got to watch this Dickson guy, you’ve got to watch Ryan fight.'” You can follow Ryan on Twitter/Instagram @rydmma
