Ryan Spangler is an 8 year old kid who stands out from the crowd. He became interested in martial arts at the age of 6. After six months of looking for the right place, Ryan enrolled at the Universal Grappling Academy where he finally found the well rounded mixed martial arts training he and his father were looking for under Coach Tyson Johnson.
Soon after he began training, Ryan’s interest in martial arts turned into a love of mixed martial arts. After a few months training, and at the encouragement of his coach, Ryan entered his first grappling/submission tournament. Ryan finished in first, with the fastest submission of the entire tournament; 9 seconds! His love of MMA then became a passion for competition.
Ryan has since gone on to win 16 medals (most 1st), a championship belt as well as two swords at NAGA for the intermediate and advanced divisions of bantamweight (50 lbs and below.). Ryan’s road as not been easy. He has known both victory and defeat, and yet has never failed to win a medal in every competition.
Ryan’s hard work and his fighter’s heart are the secret of his success. Ryan trains up to 4 hours a day 4 days a week. Ryan also maintains a straight A average in his advanced classes at school. Ryan was a star defensive end this season in football, an honor student and a cub scout. He was honored to receive an award from the Optimist’s Club for his outstanding academic and community service.