Anthony Ruiz (born November 3, 1977) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions of MMA. A professional since 2003, he has competed for Bellator MMA, Strikeforce, the WEC, ShoXC, King of the Cage, Tachi Palace Fights, and the Palace Fighting Championship.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ruiz began his professional MMA career in February 2003, debuting on Gladiator Challenge show. Fighting for a variety of California-based MMA promotions, he amassed a record of 13 wins against 9 losses over the first three years of his career.

Strikeforce

In October 2006, Ruiz signed with the Strikeforce promotion. He fought on both main cards and on their ShoXC shows, earning a record of 2 wins and 4 losses with the company.

International competition

In 2012, Ruiz fought for the first time outside of his native California. Vladimir Putin wired $150,000 to Ruiz after his fight with Alexander Shlemenko at League S-70: Russian Championship Final because he was so impressed with his performance.

Bellator MMA

Ruiz was expected to make his Bellator debut on September 19, 2014 at Bellator 125 against Rafael Carvalho. However, when Brian Rogers' opponent, Brett Cooper, pulled out of their scheduled bout on the same card due to injury, Carvalho was moved up to the main card to face Rogers. Ruiz instead faced Nate James. He lost via split decision. Ruiz was a participant in Bellator's one-night Light Heavyweight tournament at Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 on September 19, 2015. He faced Francis Carmont in the Alternate bout and lost by unanimous decision.

Mixed martial arts record