Is Ryan Hall truly ready for his Octagon comeback?
Hall hasn’t stepped into the cage since December 2021, when he secured a victory over Darrick Minner. Since then, he’s weathered a storm of injuries and had nineteen surgeries to repair various body parts. But the fighter’s spirit remains unyielding. He believes he’s finally on the cusp of returning to action.
“No. Right before I fought Ilia Topuria in 2021, I got fell on, then I went 15 years completely bulletproof,” Hall said, his voice thick with the memories. “I ended up getting fallen on and tore my hip right before that fight and I didn’t know how much that really affected me. At that point, it was 17 years of combat sports, so you spend all that time competing and training. The same thing that makes you tough can do you in. The big one recently was I had a torn shoulder.”
“Getting that all fixed as well has been huge,” Hall added. “It’s been interesting because more than half of the surgeries I have had are ‘Oops, we screwed that one up, let’s do that again.’ I had six elbow surgeries and five knee surgeries. As a patient, you can’t vet doctors and medical staff. There was a period of time when I was in daily pain, but being on the back side, I never lost hope that I’d be back.”
He envisions an early 2025 return. He acknowledges, though, the frustration of the long layoff. The fighter’s career has been stalled, and he’s aware of his own potential within the division. He’s looking forward to a new chapter in his career, with the chance to regain his footing at the top level.
“I had long stretches of time that no one would fight me. I’d get declined,” Hall said. “Turns out, your only loss is under difficult circumstances (to the champ). I had a bunch of injuries going into that fight, and he’s a great fighter.”
“The only fight you have lost is to the current champ. I had just signed on to fight Pat Sabatini and that’s when I tore my ACL. That was the beginning of this saga. It is frustrating because you think of what could be or what could have been,” Hall lamented, frustration evident in his voice.
Is he ready for the comeback? Only time will tell.