Naperville UFC Gym Owner Heads To Vegas For Fight

NAPERVILLE, IL — Napervile resident Ricardo Lamas has dedicated his life to martial arts. Lamas, who owns UFC Gym Naperville, is heading to Las Vegas for a UFC fight against Bill Algeo Saturday.

The fight will be Lamas's 27th professional fight. To date, he has the second most finishes in UFC history for the featherweight division.

“There’s a lot riding on every fight; there’s a lot of training and dedication that goes into it," Lamas told Patch.

Lamas, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, told Patch he's been training for the fight since he signed it in early June. He trains for two to three hours a day, six days a week.

Lamas admitted that he's a little nervous before each fight. He said, "If you meet a fighter who isn’t nervous about fighting another trained pro who is locked up in a cage with you then they’re lying to you.”

Lamas said fighting has taught him a lot about facing his fears. “This sport teaches you a lot about yourself," Lamas said. He added, "It’s made me mentally stronger, physically stronger and more of a humble person."

The lessons Lamas has learned go into each class he teaches at UFC Gym. In addition to mixed martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Lamas teaches self-defense classes. He's also hosted trainings for non-profits, including Little Friends.

UFC Gym also hosts live workouts on Facebook to "keep everyone invigorated and working out during quarantine," Lamas said.

He added that the humbling effect of UFC fighting can be a benefit to anyone. Lamas said, "I’d recommend everybody getting into a regulated cage fight every once in a while.”