BREAKING: Invicta-Signee River “Ruckus” Jones Injured, Retiring From Competitive MMA

BREAKING: Invicta-Signee River “Ruckus” Jones Injured, Retiring From Competitive MMA

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Cole Vick

In truly heartbreaking news, River Jones has announced via her Facebook page that a hip injury will force her to retire from MMA.

From October of 2009 until April 14th, 2012, River Jones went

7-0 as an amateur and was considered one of the top Bantamweight prospects in the United States.

River Jones is the epitome of a strong person, working hard every day without fail to attain the dream of being a professional fighter. In River’s own words. -“Athletes build success on advantages & in MMA, one of those advantages means keeping quiet about injuries so that you don’t inadvertently give an opponent extra advantages.

Consequently, I have been quiet about the nature & severity of my injury.”

River wrote on how the injury happened. -“The long & short of what has taken place for me is that I over-trained a potentially pre-disposed hip into a state of unrelenting horrible pain. I couldn’t walk, sleep, sit, stand, or shift my car without causing an eye-watering pain deep in my hip. At its worst, the left side of my back seized up, my quad seized up & was pulled inward, & my calf seized up.”

Athletes are never perfect. They get injured often because Mixed Martial Arts is a grueling combat sport. River spoke on working through pain:

-“I have done my best to work around this injury & ultimately that has what caused it to linger & cause continuous pain & limited mobility. After signing on the dotted line with Invicta, I felt pressured to maintain as much training as I could bear, which didn’t work out: I had to withdraw from my scheduled bout with Invicta when walking became difficult & excruciating. I took 2 weeks off from everything. I had already quit lifting weights with my lower body. I hadn’t wrestled or done Jui-Jitsu in months. I couldn’t run. I couldn’t use the elliptical. I could barely walk my dog without limping.”

River’s life has been full of pain since January. She has endured the pain for almost a whole year.

-“Every week I go to the doctor & do my rehab & focus all my energy into trying to get better while also going into the gym as much as possible out of fear of losing ground in my development & missing my chance to fight for Invicta. And each time I stepped foot in the gym I left in a little more pain, but I kept telling myself, “It’s only a 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 out of 10 so it’s not that bad.”

Sad to say, things did not improve. -“Last week the reality of my situation came crashing down around me: my hip was put in a bad position during wresting & I spent that night hopping around my house because my hip couldn’t bear any weight.

The most difficult part of my injury is that the worst of it usually subsides (not always) within a few days & so I keep making excuses & feel like anything less than pushing forward is giving up close to the finish line (Invicta).”

River gave so much of herself, but was faced with one of the hardest choices she would ever have to make.

-” I come to the point of this long winded post: I have decided to step away from competing in MMA.

I have to focus on healing myself & that means I cannot continuously walk into the gym & do the exact things my hip cannot handle right now (kicking & grappling). I have been denying this reality for a solid 6 months & I have been dipping in & out of intense turmoil due to the fact that I was not ready to walk away but I was also unable to train appropriately.”

The passion can be heard in every word stated by River Jones.

-“I have struggled intimately with a sense of disappointing myself, my family, my friends, my gym, my sport, the 2 opponents I have had to withdraw from, & everyone who has been so generous with their support.”

Jones is far from being done by any means with growing as an individual and contributing to the sport she loves.

-“As much as I have mourned this shift in my life (& felt pretty sorry for myself at times), I also recognize the freedom this brings to my life & with some of this time, I am dedicated to sharing my passion with others.

I plan to expand my certifications over the next 6 months so that I can move forward with coaching & supporting others in their pursuits of health, well being, & fitness. This includes working with & mentoring new athletes interested in any aspect of MMA.”

-“I will also be offering a FREE class for women on Saturdays @ Pride Gym. It will incorporate disciplines that I am most passionate about & the purpose of which is to provide women with a small chunk of time they can dedicate to themselves.”

-“I believe that participating in sport & physical activity play vital roles in helping people find & build upon their unique strengths. I also recognize that women are faced with countless barriers to developing a strong sense of self & it is my intention to address one of these barriers.”

-“I would like to thank those who have supported me: MMA Madhouse, Shining Armour, Klench, my family, my friends, my training partners & coaches.”

-I look forward to the next chapter.”

While heartbreaking to see the competitive career of such a promising young talent be taken away, River “Ruckus” Jones will continue to use her warrior spirit imparting knowledge upon the next generation of fighters. The comment section of her Facebook post is filled with well-wishes from her large contingency of fans and supporters.

SportsGeeks wishes the best to River as she begins this new chapter.

An Exclusive Interview With Brazilian Standout Vanessa Porto

An Exclusive Interview With Brazilian Standout Vanessa Porto

By Cole Vick on October 17, 2013

 

Vanessa Porto is a Standout Brazilian

powerhouse, she has an astounding body of

work in her Native land of Brazil as well as here in the States. The 8 year veteran made her

transition to the United States in July of 2012

against some of the strongest names in the

Womens Bantamweight Division of Invicta

Fighting Championship. Porto now fights at the Womens Flyweight

division, and is adequately ranked number 3 in

the division. She recently had one of the

toughest fights seen on the Invicta cage Against

Flyweight champion Barb Honchak at Invicta 5

on April 5th of this year. At the young age of 30, Vanessa porto has

fought some of the strongest names in the

Womens Bantamweight and Womens Flyweight

division.

This striking and jiu jitsu ace has a

phemonenal skillset and an endless gas tank. She

brings excitement and intensity every time she

steps into the octagon, no matter the result on

the judges scorecards. In 2012, shortly before

starting her Invicta FC career, Porto held the

Pink Fight Bantamweight belt in an amazing

fight with Luana Teixeira ending the fight by

second round knockout. Porto is very well

rounded, and brings many danger for any

opponent that is placed in front of her

 

CV: Hello Vanessa, I hope all is going well in

your training, and I want to thank you for the

time out out of your training to conduct this

interview. To start things off, What got you into

mma?

Vanessa: I Always participated in sports, and

when I started training jiu jitsu in 2004 , my

Master Pedro Iglesias saw that I had a talent for

fighting.And I was encouraged to attend MMA

events.

CV: Most of your career, you fought at Womens

Bantamweight.You now fight at Womens

Featherweight. You have had a lot of success in

both divisions, do you have any aspirations to

return to this weight class?

Vanessa: I have no preference by category , I

have fought both in 125 and in the 135.out of

my 21 fights I have been in 19 of them at 135

“To clarify, I believe that Vanessa is saying she

just got to the 125 lb weight class and wants to

see what the division has to offer before going

back”

CV: In your fight career,you have secured

victories in all of the possible ways,which are

knockout, submission and judges scorecards. I

feel as though you are a well rounded fighter,

and your record reflects it. Of all your methods

of victory, which would you say is your favorite

way to finish a fight?

Vanessa: I love the KO, it is the most exciting

way to finish the fight

CV: All of your loses have come to established

fighters, including current champs Barb

Honchak and Cyborg Santos. Of all of your

losses, which one would you most like to

avenge?

Vanessa: Barb Honchak! I know I did not lose

that fight, despite having been a exelente fight, I

would love to do a rematch

CV: Despite being 1-1 at 125 lbs, you are

currently ranked as the #3 Flyweight in WMMA

by the Unified WMMA rankings. Do you think

that gives you an argument for another title shot

against the winner of Honchak and Smith, or do

you feel that there is someone else ahead of you

in the IFC Flyweight rankings who should get the next

shot?

Vanessa: I feel really good , and I’m prepared to

fight for the belt , but this largely depends on the

event and those who fights who at the next

fight.

CV: Your next fight is up against Zoila Frausto

Gurgel. Gurgel is known for her grinding style,

but you’re known for your aggressiveness. Have

you been working on keeping the fight standing

to suit your preference or are you ok with it

turning into a grappling match?

Vanessa: I am training intensively on my muay

thai and boxing for this fight. I am prepared to

take this fight wherever it needs to go.

I am going into this fight very different.

CV: You fought in Brazilian promotions for the

majority of your career. Is there a difference in

fighting in Brazil, and fighting over here in the

states?

Vanessa: I think it depends on the training of

every athlete . Both in Brazil and in the U.S. has

made great fights with great athletes.

CV: In the last year, UFC created the first

female division in the companies history. What

are your thoughts on the landscape of WMMA.

on its progression and its growth? where do you

see WMMA in the future?

Vanessa: I see it very well … A great evolution

for female MMA .

CV: Where are you currently training, and who

are your training partners. Also, have you added

anyone special to prepare for your upcoming

fight?

Vanessa: I’m in Litlle Falls NJ , at Academy

MMAUNIVERSITY, I am Training with Ricardo

Ruiz , Bob , among others, but my training

partner everyday is my Master Pedro Iglesias

CV: I see you have had a lot of success in

amateur boxing. do you feel as though that

presents an advantage for you in this upcoming

fight?

Vanessa: Yes! any advantage in a fight can be

capitalized upon with proper training. and the

better the competition, the better the fight itself

CV: . Does being married to your trainer present

advantages in your training or disadvantages as a

fighter and in your personal life?

Vanessa: Its just another day at the office. I am a

professional, and the staff knows me. I imagine

that would put everything into perspective in the

house.

CV: You set an example to the young women

aspiring to be professional athletes. What advice

would you give to a young woman watching

your career and progression aspiring to be a

respected fighter like yourself?

Vanessa: Keep your focus and determination on

your goal, always. Never let it out of your reach!

CV: Do you find it more or less comfortable

fighting in an all women’s mma promotion?

Vanessa: way more comfortable! Because it is

100 % better media exposure.

CV: Do you have any final comments?

Vanessa: I appreciate the offer to speak with

you. Have a great day.

-Joe Calderon contributed to this interview.