STAYING COOL WHEN THE HEAT IS ON

John Reedy is a professional technician in and out of the ring.

By James Gilliland
VSP MMA Columnist

The sport of Mixed Martial Arts isn’t a full-time job for John “The Wild Child” Reedy. He already has one of those.

Reedy’s day job is working as an air conditioning and heating technician.

Reedy’s co-workers are encouraging when it comes to him competing in MMA.

“My boss and his son are very supportive of my fighting,” said Reedy. “They usually sponsor me.”

He also splits his time training with his girlfriend, Christine, and his daughter, Elise. “It’s not easy but I do enjoy my time with daughter,” said Reedy (photo, top). “I’m going to keep doing it.”

The Fresno native started wrestling in the fourth grade. He wrestled all the way through high school while attending Buchanan, then transfered to Yosemite High School.

After graduating from high school, Reedy (8-3) would continue wrestling at Fresno City College.

Reedy’s friend and MMA fighter Anthony Ruiz would introduce him to MMA competition.

He started training in Mariposa with Team Kihon and had a stint with Team Voodoo in Modesto.

“Watching the fights on T.V. and telling myself I can do that,” said Reedy. “I was always fighting as a kid I was always in trouble. I thought it would be a good outlet for me.”

John talked about his first MMA fight against J.R. Nestor (0-1) and the disappointment that came with it.

“I trained my butt off for that fight, said Reedy. “The guy had no business fighting. It wasn’t very satisfying.”

Reedy would finish Nestor by rear naked choke at 1:07 in the first round.

In his second fight against Brian Cobb (15-5), he would lose and he was happy about it. “That was a rush,” said Reedy.

Cobb submitted Reedy by rear naked choke in the second round at 1:54.

After moving back to Fresno, He joined and trains with Team Buhawe alongside friend and fellow fighter Brandon Cash, as well as the Evangelista brothers.

He also came up with his nickname “The Wild Child.” “I had ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) so you can imagine I was pretty out of control,” said Reedy. “I never sat still. I was always in trouble.”

One of Reedy’s favorite fights was against Dominique Robinson (4-3).

“The first night I went the distance,” said Reedy. “It was a good feeling, I felt like I accomplished something.”

He went on to win the fight by a unanimous decision.

Reedy isn’t sure what’s next in his fight career, but he still wants to fight.

“I do enjoy it. It’s a second chance to do professional sports,” said Reedy.

His next fight is against Rodney Rhoden (5-5) on October 17th in Tulare at the Tulare Ag Center as PureCombat presents “Fearless.”

PHOTO COURTESY: Jeff Sherwood, sherdog.com

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