Ray Cooper III is one of the most exciting athletes in the world of MMA today. In Hawaii, when you are really good at something, your peers will call you a “Hammah,” and there’s no doubt that “The Bradda Boy” is just that. Fighting out of Pearl City, HI, the 28-year-old, who has a pro MMA record of 23-7-1, will defend his PFL world welterweight championship title against his old nemesis Magomed Magomedkerimov on Oct. 27, at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, FL.
In his first go round with the PFL back in 2018, Cooper made it all the way to the final bracket and looked strong and in prime fighting condition, but was made to tap out after a momentary mistake led to him being forced into a guillotine by Russia’s Magomedkerimov in the second round. Undeterred, Cooper returned to the PFL in 2019, and this time, in a tournament that didn’t include Magomedkerimov, the Hawaiian took home the gold and a cool $1 million after an exciting tournament final that saw him pound-down David Michaud.
Due to COVID, there was no PFL tournament in 2020, but 2021 is proving to be a thriller that is making up for lost time, as Cooper is once again set to clash with Magomedkerimov, in a rematch that he hopes will not only see him defend the title and earn another $1 million payday, but also avenge his loss from 2018.
While taking his family for a ride to visit his grandmother, the champion gave five solid reasons why he remains an MMA star crushing the competition.
Pandemic-related lockdowns have little effect on Cooper’s ability to train, since he rarely attends a public gym. He notes that he would have preferred to have continued fighting competitively, but that wasn’t possible due to the PFL not being able to run in 2020. Still, having a year off must have been good for general recovery, since he had 10 fights in the two-year period before the lockdown. “And not many fighters do that,” says Cooper III. But as far as training, it was business as usual. “I was training with my brothers, I don’t really train in big gyms, I train at home. I have a gym in my garage and that’s really where I train all the time,” says Cooper III. “I got some sparring in, some light rounds with my brothers, it was good.”
Cooper comes from good fighting stock. His father, Raynald Cooper Jr. was a successful international mixed martial artist, and Cooper’s brothers and cousins are among the champ’s most trusted allies. The current PFL welterweight champ conducts almost all of his training sessions behind closed doors. “I’m real old-school in the way that I train,” says the champ. “Twice a day we train, so I’m pretty much always at home or I’m at my grandmother’s house, down in the west of the Ireland. That’s where we are going now.”
There’s no separation between training and family life for Ray Cooper III. When he jumps in the car to go and lift some weights, the kids are likely to come along too, because there’s a full gym setup at his grandmas house. And while grandma doesn’t spot him on the bench press, she is always there with some home-cooked fried rice and roasted chicken or chili spare ribs. “I’ve got everything,” says Cooper III of his gym at Grandma’s house. “Regular machines, squat racks, benches, free weights. It’s like my second gym. Over on the west side of the island is flatter ground. Throughout the week we run in the mountains.” At the end of the week, Cooper enjoys longer, flatter runs, and lifting those weights at Grandma’s.
In all, the MMA star says that he runs 24 miles per week, divided up into daily sessions of varying distances. The fighter feels that running is a great way to work on his endurance and stamina. “I run a lot of miles,” says the welterweight champion. “I’m always moving and my conditioning is always there to keep me agile. I put a lot of miles in, and I think that’s one of the most important things in fighting. You gotta do your road work, because the distance running is the key that’s going to push you through the fight.”
In his PFL debut in 2018, Cooper racked up the victories and began to make a name for himself thanks to his exciting style. Many observers had him picked to take the welterweight crown on that night, but a momentary lapse of concentration allowed his opponent to force a submission. Rather than feel sorry for himself, the Bradda Boy came back stronger in 2019. “It felt good,” he says. “From losing in the championship, [to going on to win in 2019], getting a win under my belt and a world title, I think I am the only one to be in the finals for a third time, and it’s going to be good.”
Now set to face his old rival Magomedkerimov once again in that Oct 27 final, airing on ESPN, Cooper III was ready all along to face his demons. “I knew he was gonna be in the finals,” he says. “He’s a world-class fighter, and I really wanted my rematch back. So, it’s good, but I’ve adjusted [since our first fight], and I’m going to be the world champion again.”
Cooper III Focuses on the Competition and Not the Prize
Having won his first $1 million championship prize purse in 2019, Cooper III was in no rush to spend the cash. The champ says that his MMA earnings go back into the family and his training. But while he is more focussed on the competition than the prize, he does have one hobby that he allows himself to indulge in. “I ride dirt bike a lot and watch all the races,” shares the Hawaiian, who is a big fan of the English motorcycle enduro-rider, Graham Jarvis.
His PFL championship defense against Magomedkerimov will be “just another training day for me,” says Cooper III, who tackles jetlag by staying on his local Hawaiian time. He explains that his training sessions often take place at 11pm local time, and this corresponds with the PFL fights that tend to take place right at the same time in Florida, although because of the time zones and six-hour difference, this equates to 5 p.m.. On fight day, he will sleep right up until around 2 p.m. Eastern. “I don’t get adjusted to their time, I stay on my own time,” says the champ. There’s no doubt that MMA is more than just a career choice for the dangerous Hawaiian. It is part of every facet of his life, and we will find out if it’s once again Cooper III’s time on Oct. 27.
