(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

A lion ready to hunt

Prince Albert’s Rohovich returns to battle

Aug 14, 2021 | 10:00 AM

After over three years since his last fight, Prince Albert’s Ryan Rohovich is stepping back inside the cage.

The 34-year-old is scheduled to fight Gagan Gill at the Battlefield Fight League’s (BFL) next event on Sept. 30 in Vancouver. On the line is the opportunity to challenge the BFL’s Featherweight Champion at a later date.

“I’m super pumped. It’s been a long time coming. I’m just very hungry to get back in there so I’m looking forward to it,” Rohovich told paNOW during a phone interview on Thursday.

Gill who boasts a record of three wins and one loss, fights out of Abbottsford, B.C, and has a background in kickboxing and wrestling. He is also a former BFL Featherweight champion and is ranked 31st out of 85 active Canadian lightweights.

Rohovich, whose professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) record stands at four wins and four losses, has been working tirelessly at the gym since his last fight in May 2018, and explained he has no plans to change up his style.

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“I continue to train the way I train and I’m going to fight my fight and just be ready for everything,” he said. “That’s the game plan with everybody. I don’t really change it too much because we train all areas so we’ve got to be ready for everything.”

For the fight next month, Rohovich is dropping down a full weight class from lightweight (155 lb) to feather weight (145 lb). (BFL)

In addition to being a number one contender fight, the event itself next month will be shown live on UFC Fight Pass, which will in turn provide Rohovich international exposure. Admitting he is excited about the opportunity to be seen by a larger audience and potentially pick up some sponsors, Rohovich explained that his focus throughout the pandemic has remained stepping back into the cage. For that reason he has pushed himself even harder in the gym.

“I didnt know when the next event would be with all these rules around COVID, but I knew once they said go, everyone was going to be ready to throw promotions so I knew I’ve gotta be ready to fight,” he said.

Rohovich trains out of North Wake Martial Arts. Head Instructor Lucien Phillips explained how despite having three scheduled fights pre-COVID fall through, Rohovich has never lost focus or his energy.

“He’s put in a lot of work and I’ve seen a lot of improvements in him over the past year. So we are excited to see what he can do,” he said.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell