Following in his dad's footsteps, Ryan began boxing in college while playing football at Mount Union College in his home state of Ohio. In 2007, he moved to Orlando, FL and started on his BJJ journey, and pursued a career as a professional mixed martial arts fighter. Ryan is a Strikeforce, Bellator, and World Series of Fighting vet with an impressive professional MMA record of 6-2 as well as being a former Florida State lightweight champion in the RFC (Real Fighting Championships).

Ryan is also a certified personal trainer. He is a big believer in sport-specific training and functional strength training. He encourages his clients to try different exercises that incorporate weights, cardio, and bodyweight lifts. He keeps his workouts fun and changes them from conventional sets and reps to timed circuit training drills. Because mixed martial arts fighters are some of the best-conditioned athletes in all sports, he has also been known to mix boxing and kickboxing into his workouts to push his clients' cardio, hone fast-twitch muscle fibers, and develop core strength.