Plymouth Officer Wins MMA Fight Unanimously At 41 Years Old

Rian Torrance of Plymouth is no stranger to doing hard things. For four years, he served in the Navy. For eight years, he was a correctional officer at Bridgewater State Hospital, and for the past nine years, he has been a Plymouth police officer.

And on Saturday night, at the age of 41, he became an MMA fighter when he fought for Cage Titan's Fighting Championship at Plymouth Memorial Hall.

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Rian's Journey to the Cage

Since the age of 16, Torrance has been in the boxing gym. His love for martial arts continued to grow as he got older, and when Daniel Gracie opened a gym in Plymouth in 2018, he decided to give jiu-jitsu a try.

It was always fun for him, but when he started working as the police detail at Plymouth Memorial Hall for Cage Titans shows, a new desire took shape.

“I just wanted to give fighting a whirl,” said Torrance. “I wanted to take a chance. I didn’t want to be on my deathbed thinking I should have tried it and never did.”

Torrance began speaking with Michael Polvere, the president of the Cage Titans, about getting in the cage, and the stars aligned on November 11^th when he faced a 21-year-old up-and-coming fighter.

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“My opponent was tough,” said Torrance. “He hit hard, and he was tough, but I think my jiu-jitsu skills earned me that win.”

Support of Friends & Family Made Rian's Victory Possible

Torrance won all three rounds unanimously and admits that it was the hardest thing he has ever done in his life. If it wasn’t for the support of his wife, he’s not sure if he would have been as successful on Saturday night.

“My wife’s support was amazing,” he said. “She’s the family glue.”

While his 8-year-old and 6-year-old weren’t there to see their Dad win, they were thrilled to hear he got the victory.

“They each want my medal in their rooms, so we’ve been switching between their rooms each night,” he shared.

When it came to his fellow officers, their support blew him away.

“I had about 200 people there, and most of them were cops,” said Torrance. “It was my first day back to work today and the outpouring of love has been amazing."

Torrance admits that his fight career was a one-off experience.

“I feel fulfilled now with my combat journey,” he said. “It was the hardest thing, but I just wanted that experience. I’m now a part of that 1% that can say they’ve done it.”

When he's off duty, Torrance plans to put his focus on earning his black belt under Daniel Gracie.

At the age of 41, Torrance proves that it's never too late to try something new.