JR Ridge is a kickboxer and Sanshou fighter who has been in the fight game since he was a kid. His coach, Ian Lee brought him to one of Julian Lane’s early BKFC fights and that planted the seed for what would become a great career in a sport that Ridge was initially uninterested in because of the perceived violence. At a young age, he showed a high level of striking skills that had his coach sign him up for a fight overseas where he fought up in weight until he dialed in his process and made becoming a Sanshou champion his life goal.

Ridge pokes fun at himself for dropping out of college to become a fulltime fighter but in hindsight, it was a great decision. He helped his coach start one of Texas’s largest Sanshou gyms and rubbed elbows with some UFC OGs like Cowboy Cerrone and Leonard Garcia along the way. Ridge was injured at a young age in his fight career and got into working retail before once again pivoting back into combat sports and this time it was with the BKFC.

Ridge has a blitzing style with overwhelming pressure and his fight style is often compared to John Dodson who he lost his flyweight title fight against at BKFC 48. He is more technically sound than much of the roster because of his dedication to boxing and kickboxing at a young age. 

JR Ridge’s childhood story is a sad one from the outside but he’ll be the first to tell you his parents made his situation seem ordinary. When Ridge was born in the Philippines, he was very sick with various infections and salmonella. He was asked by the local doctor in his hometown to take him in and the doctor and his wife full on adopted him. They eventually moved to the U.S. and JR wouldn’t have even known in his mind that he was any different from his parents because of his family’s inclusiveness and support. There’s much more to learn about the life of JR Ridge and online, you can find far more material than what’s included here.