Ed Ruth is 4-0 in his MMA career (Photo/Bellator)Less than one week after Ed Ruth signed on for a welterweight bout at Bellator 196 in Budapest, Hungary, the former Penn State superstar wrestler has learned his has a new opponent, and will be fighting in a different weight class, according to multiple media reports Monday.
After original Bellator 196 foe Laszlo Furko withdrew from the 170-pound match due to injury, Ruth will now face Ion Pascu in a 175-pound catchweight bout at Bellator 196 on Saturday, April 6 at the same location.
The 27-year-old Ruth, who is 4-0 in his professional mixed martial arts career, was originally intended to mark his debut at 170 pounds after previously competing at middleweight (185 pounds). Instead, Ruth will meet Pascu somewhere in the middle, at 175 pounds.
Pascu, 35, is an MMA veteran from Bucharest, Romania. He is 17-7 in his pro career he launched in October 2006. Nine of his wins are by KO/TKO, four by submission, and four by decision.
Pasco has had nine of his bouts go the distance ... while Ruth has never experienced a full three-round fight, having ended all four of his matches within the first two rounds.
Another potential concern for some fans of "EZ Ed": Having to prep for a new opponent.
However, Ruth told MMA Fighting that the opponent switch is of little concern to him and his team, having experienced this situation in his college career.
"Sometimes at dual meets, they would have somebody wrestle at a certain weight class all year long and then all of a sudden they switch the guy right before you're about to step out there," Ruth told MMA Fighting. "Even when you're weighing in on the scales, you'll see them weigh in two guys so you don't know which one of those guys you're going to wrestle.
"There were times at the Penn State dual meets where I had to shake hands with, like, three guys that were out there on the mat and I didn't know which one I was going to wrestle."
That be-ready-for-anything mentality that served the first-ever three-time NCAA champ for the storied Penn State wrestling program is still at work in his Bellator MMA career.
"We're never just preparing for one guy," said Ruth. "They know that I'm not just trying to be good at boxing or kickboxing, I'm not just trying to take the guy down and just be a wrestler, I want to go out there and compete against someone in the disciplines that they're good in.
"Going forward with this new guy Ion Pascu, the training and everything is still the same. I'm just trying to get better with my standup striking, my wrestling, and all my transitions, and my jiu-jitsu."
Ruth is one of the most decorated wrestlers to come out of Penn State wrestling program. The Harrisburg, Pa. native was a four-time NCAA All-American, becoming the first three-time NCAA champ for the Nittany Lions, winning the 174-pound title in 2012, and back-to-back championships at 184 in 2013 and 2014.
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