in the news –> Holland’s Ray Lopez evolves from street fighter to pro with UFC hopes
from The Holland Sentinel article written by JON SCHULTZ:
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Holland, MI —
When asked where he saw his mixed martial arts career in five years, Holland 23-year-old Ray Lopez paused to think, but not because he didn’t know the answer.
Lopez prides himself on letting his fighting do the talking. But he’s also not a liar, said trainer and mentor Gery Weichman, who then reassured Lopez by saying, “Go ahead, tell the truth.”
And he did.
“Well I would love to be in the UFC. I know it’s going to take a little longer, maybe. That’s where I would love to be,” Lopez said. “I’m not going to stop until I get there. When one door closes, I’ll find another one that opens up, or I’ll pry it open to get there.”
Lopez, who fights out of Hamilton Karate, started his professional MMA career in October 2009 and remains undefeated with a record of three wins, no losses and one no contest in which his opponent tested positive for drugs, he said.
On Feb. 22, he became the first Michigan fighter to compete professionally in both MMA and boxing as he debuted with a decision over C.J. Glover of Bay City. He looks to improve his boxing record to 2-1 Friday at the Royal Oak Theatre, but he said his long-term focus is on his MMA career.
“I wanted to make this a career to where this is all that I was doing, but you don’t make money just training for (a fight once every) three months,” Lopez said. “So I got into boxing for a little bit more money, so that was every other month, MMA, boxing, MMA.”
He does it because he has always loved to fight, but his greatest motivator is his 2-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter, Lopez said.
“I want to make it work so my kids can have what they want growing up, and I can be a role model to some other kids, you know,” Lopez said. “Not everybody’s got to live rough, you know what I mean.”
Before starting his career in MMA, Lopez lived on the streets of Holland.
When he was 13, his father was incarcerated, his mother was not in his life and his brother was raising him, he said.
