Ed Ruth facts for kids

Edward Lee Ruth, born on October 21, 1990, is an American athlete who used to compete in mixed martial arts (MMA) and wrestling. He was especially good at folkstyle wrestling, where he won three national championships in college! He also competed in the Middleweight division for Bellator MMA, a big mixed martial arts organization.

Early Life and School

Edward Ruth was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He started wrestling at Susquehanna Township High School. For his last year of high school, he moved to Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey, and graduated in 2009.

Wrestling Career

Edward Ruth was an amazing college wrestler for Pennsylvania State University from 2010 to 2014. During his time there, he became a three-time NCAA Division I national champion. This is a huge achievement in college wrestling!

He also represented the United States in freestyle wrestling. He competed in big international events like the 2014 World Wrestling Championships and the 2015 Wrestling World Cup.

In July 2021, Edward Ruth started a new role. He became an assistant coach for the University of Illinois wrestling team.

Mixed Martial Arts Career

In December 2014, Edward Ruth began training with famous MMA fighters. He trained at Central PA Mixed Martial Arts while living in State College, Pennsylvania.

Joining Bellator MMA

Edward Ruth signed a contract with Bellator MMA in May 2015. He was focused on the 2016 Summer Olympics at the time, so he waited a bit before making his MMA debut.

He had his first professional MMA fight in November 2016 at Bellator 163. He fought Dustin Collins-Miles in the middleweight division. Edward won the fight by TKO (Technical Knockout) in the first round. This means the referee stopped the fight because his opponent couldn't defend himself anymore.

In his second fight, in December 2016 at Bellator 168, he won again by TKO in the first round against Emanuele Palombi. He continued his winning streak, defeating David Mundell in April 2017.

Edward Ruth faced UFC veteran Chris Dempsey in November 2017 at Bellator 186. He won this fight by knockout in the second round.

He then moved to a lighter weight class, called welterweight. He fought Ion Pascu at Bellator 196 in Budapest, Hungary. He won this fight by a unanimous decision, meaning all the judges thought he won. He used his wrestling skills to take Pascu down many times.

Edward Ruth officially made his welterweight debut against Andy Murad at Bellator 201. He won by TKO in the second round.

Later, he joined the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix, a special tournament. He faced Neiman Gracie in the quarterfinals at Bellator 213 in December 2018. He lost this fight by a submission called a "rear-naked choke" in the fourth round. After this loss, he changed his training team and joined American Kickboxing Academy.

Edward Ruth bounced back with a win against Kiichi Kunimoto at Bellator 224 in July 2019, winning by TKO in the second round. He then signed a new contract with Bellator.

His next fight was against Jason Jackson at Bellator 231 in October 2019. He won this fight by a split decision, which means the judges didn't all agree, but most thought he won.

In February 2020, Edward Ruth fought Yaroslav Amosov at Bellator 239. He lost this fight by unanimous decision. His last fight was against Taylor Johnson at Bellator 245 in September 2020, which he lost by submission.

In July 2021, Edward Ruth decided to retire from MMA. He chose to focus on coaching wrestling at the University of Illinois.

Championships and Accomplishments

Edward Ruth has achieved a lot in his wrestling career:

Freestyle Wrestling

• United World Wrestling
  • 2015 Henri Deglane Challenge Silver Medalist
  • 2015 Bill Farrell International Open Gold Medalist
  • 2014 Heydar Aliyev Memorial Golden Grand Prix Bronze Medalist
• USA Wrestling
  • 2015 U.S World Team Trials Silver Medalist
  • 2015 U.S ASICS National Championships Bronze Medalist
  • 2014 U.S World Team Member
  • 2014 U.S Open Bronze Medalist
  • 2013 U.S University National Championships Gold Medalist

Folkstyle Wrestling

• National Collegiate Athletic Association
  • NCAA Division I All-American (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
  • NCAA Division I 174 lb - Third Place (2011)
  • NCAA Division I 174 lb National Champion (2012)
  • NCAA Division I 184 lb National Champion (2013)
  • NCAA Division I 184 lb National Champion (2014)
• Big Ten Conference
  • Big Ten 174 lb Champion (2011)
  • Big Ten 174 lb Champion (2012)
  • Big Ten 184 lb Champion (2013)
  • Big Ten 184 lb Champion (2014)