He took some time off his congested schedule to share his journey with the Advertiser.
During his stint at the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the submission specialist faced Soa Palelei, Anthony Hamilton and Derrick Lewis.
He has since returned to EFC on a new deal.
The Advertiser asked:
Take us through your emotions when you first learned that you would feature in the UFC.
When I first heard the news, I was elated. Being invited to the UFC was not only an honour for me as a South African, but a privilege as a mixed martial artist, as the UFC is the most prestigious mixed martial arts platform to compete on globally. When you compete in the UFC, it is the equivalent to the Olympics in any other sport. It was truly such an honour to be invited.
What did the news mean to you?
To me the news meant that I had to be the best I could be in a very short period of time, as I needed to compete with the world’s best, on the world’s most elite MMA platform and try my best to represent my country – South Africa.
You’re back with EFC following your journey in the UFC, for how long is your new EFC contract set to exist?
I will continue to compete in the EFC until I have achieved what I want to achieve as a mixed martial artist. I feel very passionate about the sport and would love to one day help others to achieve success both in the sport and in life itself.
You obviously didn’t lose your EFC heavyweight title, but had to relinquish it instead, how are you planning on reclaiming it?
I am a firm believer in taking every bout as it comes, namely one step at a time, but I do have a long term goal and included in that is my journey to regaining my title and, who knows, maybe another one along the way.
What are the differences between EFC and UFC?
There is no difference in the sport as such, but the level of competitors is of a higher calibre on the whole, but only because other countries competing in the UFC have competed at this level for quite some time.
Some of the athletes have competed for decades. South Africans are relatively new to the sport competing on the larger scale.
Although it is the quickest growing sport in the world and we, as South Africans are reaching the international level really quickly, I see and predict some young local prospects moving up the ranks really quickly and joining the UFC ranks.
Take us through your experiences in fighting in a UFC cage in front of different crowds?
Fighting in front of such huge crowds is quite amazing, but totally different to fighting in front of your home crowd. At home, you have built up a reputation and a huge fan base.
In the UFC, starting out, you are a tiny fish in the sea and the majority of the crowd is supporting your opponent, especially if they are fighting out of their home country, namely USA. As a fighter you need to mentally switch off, but it is a daunting task considering the circumstances. It is really surreal though, but very exciting with a lot more butterflies.
Who was your toughest UFC opponent and why?
All competitors in the UFC are tough and of a very high calibre, that is why they are in the UFC. Every opponent has his or her strengths and weaknesses. That is your challenge as a mixed martial artist and an opponent: to find their weaknesses on the night and capitalise on them in the bout.
Describe some of the challenges you had to face in your UFC journey.
Every fight in the UFC is a challenge and every athlete has his or her own challenges on a daily basis. With the correct backing and support we are able to minimise those challenges.
Being a South African mixed martial artist is also a huge challenge, in that the sport is still very new to our country, so we, as South African athletes, still are not at the point where we can do the sport on a full time basis without the need to have a full time job.
This is another reason the majority of the other countries competing in the UFC have a slight advantage. Most of the athletes competing in the UFC internationally are scouted by reputable managers/sports agents who help them to financially support themselves enough to be able to train full time and get the correct rest and recovery required to train up to three times a day without the interruptions of a daily job.
These reputable managers/sports agents source viable sponsors who assist the athletes in becoming full time mixed martial artists, which, in hindsight, is required to compete at the UFC level.
To compete with the best, as in any professional sport, you need to train, eat and sleep your sport, in our case, MMA.
As South Africans we are not at that level yet, but I hope we will be there soon in order to see what our top, up-and-coming athletes are capable of achieving, especially if they can be in the position to be full time athletes.
After all, that is what we all aim to achieve as professional sportsmen or women, namely to have our sport in this case – MMA – be our profession and not ”part time job” or ”hobby”.
If there were things you could have done differently in your time with the UFC, what would those things be?
There should always be things that you could have done differently, be it winning a bout or losing a bout.
Nothing you can do can change the past, but as long as you learn from it and improve on your skills a little every day, that is all you need to be successful in our sport and in life as a whole.
What are the highlights of your time in the USA? Inside and outside the hexagon.
My highlight in the USA was meeting and making so many friends and meeting all the athletes – the best of the best – the ones I looked up to for so many years, and training with many of them.
That is something no one can take away from you and this was truly a surreal experience. You also come to realise that although they are legends in their sport, they are all human beings just like you and me and that pushes you to train even harder and be better and better, day after day, because, ultimately, you, too, can be someone’s hero and someone moving up the ranks will one day, too, look up to you.
Taking your experience you gained in the US in the last 12 months or so into consideration, what would you say it takes to make it in the UFC?
To make it in the UFC all it takes is hard work, dedication and the proper support structure, be it in your family, fans, sponsors, managers or team, and you will not only be a success in MMA but in life as a whole. When life seems to deal you a bad hand, know that a good hand is just around the corner.
All it takes is positivity, perseverance, passion and dedication, then life has no limits. If you believe you did the best you can do, that’s all that counts. Don’t let the keyboard warriors get you down. Guaranteed, they have never walked in your shoes.
Describe the things you learned during your time in the UFC.
Being chosen among the elite few to come into the UFC, I have learned that one can achieve your goals, dreams and aspirations with dedication, perseverance and hard work and, in all honesty, if you have a dream, don’t give up on it. Believe and you will succeed. Don’t listen to the naysayers, as they are the ones who have not yet achieved their dreams and goals as they have their own insecurities.
Do you have any regrets from your time in the UFC?
I have had no regrets. It has made me a stronger person both mentally and physically and I strive to better myself in all avenues in life and, who knows, maybe sometime in the not too distant future I will be there once again.
Did you train differently when you joined the UFC and with who was your training?
I train differently for every bout I participate in and was privileged to train with many people from different camps and teams.
I trained with the infamous Blackzilians team, Henry Hooft, Jorge Santiago, Thiago Silva, Kenny Monday, Matt Mitrione, Cezar Ferreirra, Yuri Villefort, Diego Peclat, Guto Inocente and even a session with Renzo Gracie.
I also trained with my local team at the time – MRA – Mark Robinson Academy, Mark Robinson, Tal Bugai, Michail Shapiro and Bryan Hart.
Did you come across any inspirational people in the States? If so, how did they inspire you?
I met Renzo Gracie at the Jaco Training facility and he was so humble, such an inspiration and such a knowledgeable man.
I also met and am good friends with Karyn Bryant, who is truly the nicest and friendliest person in the UFC media avenues. She is the FOX Sports 1 anchor lady for the UFC and hosts her own show, MMA H.E.A.T online.
I met Chris Weidman – UFC Champion – he is much bigger in real life and a really nice guy.
I met Rhonda Rousey – UFC Champion – in the foyer of my hotel and she was so very humble and friendly despite how talented she is. She is truly inspirational as an athlete.
I also met Bruce Buffer, who is the UFC’s octagon announcer and he is a great guy.
I met Dana White, who is, in my words, a legend. Dana is actually a really cool guy and extremely funny, inspirational and motivational.
I met the infamous ”Stitch” Duran who was a cut-man for the UFC and Pro Boxing and who wrapped my hands for my bout. He truly is a legend in both MMA and boxing. He is such an awesome guy with so much knowledge and so many stories.
Moving slightly away from inside the hexagon, how did your MMA career begin?
I lived in the UK for 10 years and my wife and I owned a dental laboratory. We used to make and supply professional custom mouth guards to all the sports clubs and gyms in and around our area.
One of the gyms close to where we lived was a MMA gym and I went to the gym to offer our services. I saw the guys practising in all different disciplines of martial arts and liked what I saw and thought it looked like fun, so I started training with them. After a few months, I started entering tournaments and winning tournaments.
I enjoyed it so much that when we came back to South Africa, I saw the EFC was the organisation to enter to compete with the best the country has to offer. Before long I entered the EFC and soon became the EFC Africa Heavyweight champion and, as they say, the rest is history.
Who is your role model, if any, and why?
My role models are and always will be my parents and my wife. They have contributed so much to my life in the form of encouragement, motivation, support and love and, without them, I would never have achieved what I have managed to achieve thus far in my life.
With UFC experience added to your fighting resumé, would you say you’ve achieved all you ever wanted to as an MMA professional fighter?
As an MMA athlete, I am always looking to improve my knowledge and skill-set. I will endeavour to be the best I can be and improve on every performance I give. I still think I have what it takes to get to the top of the game and stay there until I finally hang up my gloves, as they say. That day is not yet close and I have so much more to show my fans and myself. Follow the #Fangzjourney.
What can EFC fans expect from Ruan Potts 2.0?
Ruan ”Fangzz” Potts is actually going to be Ruan ‘Fangzz’ Potts 1½ not 2. I am dropping to light heavyweight in my next bout on November 7, in Cape Town at EFC 45, and I’m excited for the challenge and hopefully I can contribute and add a bit of excitement to the division.
Lastly, do you still stay in Boksburg? And what’s the name of your gym in Pretoria?
I am still local to Boksburg but I’m now training in Pretoria with Team CIT MMA.
Team CIT is an awesome gym with really great talent and I believe it won’t be long before Team CIT MMA will have many champions of their own and a few UFC prospects are definitely in the pipeline.
Coach Morné Visser and the great athletes at Team CIT MMA are definitely doing great things for me and are going to definitely contribute to the #Fangzzjourney.
Is there anyone you would like to thank for helping you on your new journey?
Yes, I would like to thank my sponsors and team, as I would not be able to achieve what I have without their support and backing. Rex Diff and Gearbox, Apex Truck and Trailer, Platinum Supplements, TNT Mercury, Team CIT MMA, coach Morné Visser and all my training partners, Q4 Fuel, ABE MIDAS and, most of all, my supportive wife, family and fans. You guys are the greatest!
EFC 45 takes place at the Granwest Arena on Saturday, November 7 where Potts will make his light heavyweight debut against Tumelo ‘The Truck’ Maphutha. – @SabeloBoksburg
