Interview with Rik Ellis

Rik Ellis is a professional MMA fighter who comes from a very strong Aikido background and currently trains with Raja Prize Fighters and Fight Science. MMA Prospects UK spoke with Rik about his Aikido experiences and how he adapts it for use within MMA. This follows on nicely from our interview on Aikido with his father, Henry Ellis.

I believe that you started to learn Aikido from the early age of 5 years old; tell us about your martial arts background?

As a child my earliest memories are of being with my father in the lounge doing some form of martial arts, I was taught to kick from every angle. My father would do break-falls whilst holding me which was a lot of fun so my early interest in Aikido and martial arts in general followed naturally.

At five years of age I was allowed to join the junior section so I was able to practice with all the other kids including Derek Eastman’s son Mark who was about the same age as me. It just seemed natural to follow my father’s path.

When did you first decide to try MMA and what prompted this?

I have been a long term friend of Nick Chapman going back over 11 years. I had seen MMA on TV with the early UFC  and this had an connection with both Nick and I. Nick went on to find the BudoKan at Frimley which was then under Alex Reid, we both trained with Alex initially then moved onto to other camps with Suleman Raja  of `Prize Fighters Gym` of Farnborough where my progress soared. Around this time Nick Chapman set up ‘Fight Science’ which has now become an integral part of my training camp.

Is Aikido something that you’ve found can be adapted for use in MMA and in what way have you found it useful?

Yes, I have found that certain areas of Aikido can be adapted, whereas others have to be discarded or undone but then I feel this would be true with almost any martial art, as only certain areas cross over.

The most useful asset that I have brought over from Aikido is the ability to use someone else’s momentum to my advantage.

For anyone who has any doubts about Aikido in MMA you only need to see UFC greats such as Anderson Silva to name but a few now training with the help of Steven Seagal whose positive style of Aikido is identical to my fathers. Unfortunately some of the modern watered down versions of Aikido have no place in MMA or the Cage.

Where do you do most of your MMA training and who are your instructors?

Suleman Raja and his brother Usman Raja of Prize Fighters of Farnborugh Hants, they take care of my K1, wrestling and MMA; Nick Chapman of Fight Science takes care of my mental preparation and strength and conditioning which is based in Guildford. Vic Hothi from IMAS (intergrated martial arts systems) helps me work on all of the areas covered above. I would like to mention that these people have become great friends and have been a fantastic support network both in and out of the gym.

Do you help to train MMA fighters in Aikido or other martial arts and if not is this something you would consider in the future?

The areas of Aikido that are beneficial in MMA I have incorporated in some classes, but most of the time I am training intensely so at this point in my career I don’t get the chance to pass on as much as I would like, as time goes on this will change as I am proud of my Aikido heritage and lineage. My father’s fighting spirit is very much my inspiration. Aikido in MMA is a work in progress for me as the more I learn the more I can see adaptations. Over time I believe there will be enough links, overlaps and potential adaptations to make Aikido mentionable as one of the martial arts in the evolution of mixed martial arts.

How does your father, Henry Ellis, feel about you using Aikido within MMA?

I must be honest my father was not very keen at all; at the same time he did not try to deter me. I persuaded him to come to my first fight, he really enjoyed the whole event, in particular my win in 46 sec of the first round. Later my father said, “Cage fighting is very Gladiatorial.“  It is as real as it gets; I thought that summed up the feelings I shared. My father goes to every event where he is respected by many of the fighters and promoters so much so that he was recently asked by Grant Waterman and Dave O’Donnell to present Nick Chapman with his championship title belt.

Have you found that on occasions your knowledge of Aikido has given you an edge whilst grappling and can you give us an example of this?

There are some locks and immobilisations that as far as I am aware are only used in Aikido, I have managed to submit numerous training partners. I would like to offer more information but whilst they are working so well I want to keep them to myself LOL . To any Aikidodoka reading this, if you have someone’s arm locked down slip on a reverse Sankyo and that tells you the tapout is not far behind.

Do you believe that Aikido has a place in the future of MMA and why?

As my father has said `Aikido as demonstrated / practiced in the dojo has no place in the MMA cage` - The modern breed of Aikidoists do not have the spirit or heart to enter the cage to prove themselves. The control techniques and body movements of Aikido certainly have a place in MMA. I like the strong powerful condensed techniques of Steven Seagal; I can see the `traditional style` that my father had studied from Kenshiro Abbe Sensei. It is worth noting that every one of my father’s Aikido teachers were initially high ranking Judoka which was reflected in their tight body controlled movements. The modern Japanese Aikido teachers are straight off the AikiKai Hombu production line with a more flowing style of Aikido, whilst being rather pretty it is much less effective; quite different.

What message do you have for those out there who think that Aikido practitioners are all ‘plastic samurai’?

`Plastic Samurai` adequately sums up many of these characters so well. It is difficult to condemn people who make such statements on Aikido after seeing people doing Aikido with music and ribbons complete with twirling light sabres. Students instead of attacking on balance have become acrobats and gymnasts with no martial core at all. I doubt they know the difference between martial and marital.

I am more disappointed for my father, who has worked so hard to promote Aikido from its inception in the 1950s, to see what Aikido for many has become today.

MMA Prospects UK would like to thank Rik for speaking with us about his MMA career and for the fascinating insight into Aikido and its adaption into MMA. You can find out more about Aikido and can follow the MMA career of this professional fighter by staying up to date with his blog here.