EDMONTON – After his highly anticipated return to the cage last month at Unified 43, Canadian combat sports legend Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford takes on Atlanta’s Robert “The Blue King” Hale for the vacant Unified MMA Super-Welterweight Championship at Unified 45 on May 27 at River Cree Resort & Casino in Enoch, AB, LIVE on UFC Fight Pass.

At Unified 43, Ford scored a second-round submission victory over American challenger Dawond Pickney, officially ending his seven-year hiatus from MMA. Ford boasts a 23-5 record in the cage and is 17-7 as a professional boxer, including 12 victories by KO. The former World Series of Fighting title challenger’s celebrated MMA career also includes 12 wins by KO and another nine by submission.

Hale may well be Ford’s biggest challenge in the cage yet. The fast-rising Pro Fight League vet is 11-5 on the strength of three straight wins heading into his Canadian debut. He’s been victorious in five of his past six fights, including a first-round KO over UFC featherweight Nikolas Motta.

Also at Unified 45, Christian Larsen (6-2) defends his Unified MMA Heavyweight Championship for a second time against UFC vet Rashad “Daywalker” Coulter (9-5), and KB “The Bengal” Bhullar (11-3) welcomes undefeated Israeli prospect Eli Aronov (5-0) to the Unified MMA cage. The card will also feature Neal Anderson (11-4), among many other established Canadian stars and top prospects from the United States.

Before Unified 45 on May 27 in Edmonton, Unified MMA makes its highly anticipated debut in Calgary, with Unified 44 on May 6 at 7 Chiefs Sportsplex at Tsuut’ina Nation. The event, which will air LIVE on UFC Fight Pass, features Noah “The Chosen Defender” Ali (10-5-1) versus Gabe Sagman (7-4) for the vacant Unified MMA Bantamweight Championship, the Unified debut of Tom “Big Nasty” O’Connor (9-2), the return of Zack Powell (5-1) and much more.

ABOUT UNIFIED MMA

Unified MMA is Canada’s leading mixed martial arts promotion, showcasing the country’s top-ranked fighters, LIVE on UFC Fight Pass. The organization has successfully promoted 43 events since it was founded in 2009, and has propelled several athletes to the UFC’s Octagon.