Ali Delpesche Ram At The Fights interview on Sky Fight League

The Ali Delpesche Ram At The Fights interview covered her Ontario Open gold, a recent submission over a Team Canada wrestler and her preparation for a November 28 Sky Fight League match in Toronto, Canada. Delpesche also told Ram At The Fights why she is approaching opponent Jody The scan without studying her matches and how a Hayabusa sponsorship fits into her plans for a career in jiu-jitsu.

How has Ali Delpesche prepared for Sky Fight League in Toronto?

Ali Delpesche said she feels prepared for her November 28 Sky Fight League match after a run of competition that included gold in her division and third place in the absolute division at the Ontario Open. She also won a recent superfight by submitting a wrestler she identified as part of Team Canada.

Ontario Open medals and a superfight submission

Delpesche placed first in her division at the November 1 Ontario Open, then took third in the absolute division. In the subsequent superfight, she said she got on top of the wrestler and secured a submission. Another match was scheduled before Sky Fight League, giving her more competitive time ahead of the Toronto event.

That activity sits alongside a regular training schedule. Delpesche said she trains jiu-jitsu about six times a week, tries to train every day and goes to a weightlifting gym three or four times weekly. She described the recent matches as a reason she is looking forward to November 28 rather than a change to her usual approach.

What did Ali Delpesche say about Jody The scan?

Ali Delpesche said she has not watched Jody The scan grapple and does not know what to expect from her jiu-jitsu. Rather than build a plan around footage she does not have, Delpesche intends to trust her own game when they meet at Sky Fight League.

She did look at Jody The scan’s Instagram and saw posts featuring WWE-style pro wrestling. Delpesche distinguished those appearances from a grappling match: they told her little about how her opponent would perform on the mat. She said having so little to go on could be a good thing because it keeps her attention on what she can do.

Asked whether an opponent’s intimidating presentation matters, Delpesche agreed that looks cannot substitute for skill. Her emphasis was on respecting what an opponent can do, not judging the match by a photo or a pose.

When did Ali Delpesche start jiu-jitsu and return from her ankle fracture?

Ali Delpesche started jiu-jitsu when she was about 17, going on 18, and said she had been training for roughly three years. After fracturing her ankle in a class in February 2025, she set her sights on returning to competition and taking part in superfights with walkout music and a crowd.

Returning to competition after February 2025

The ankle fracture sharpened a goal she already found appealing: competing in a setting where she could walk out to music, grapple in a cage or in front of spectators, and get her name out. Her Ontario Open result and recent superfight win formed part of that return. Delpesche did not present the injury as the end of her competitive ambitions.

Reggae, soca and walkout music

Music is part of the experience she wanted from superfights. Delpesche likes Brazilian funk and, drawing on her Caribbean background, listens to reggae and soca. She walked out to a reggae song by Vybz Kartel for her previous match and said she might keep using it for her next few appearances.

Why did Ali Delpesche choose jiu-jitsu over other martial arts?

Ali Delpesche said jiu-jitsu appeals to her because of its wrestling and grappling, as well as its community. She believes the body control, flexibility and strength she developed through childhood dance carry over to training. She has tried boxing and kickboxing but has spent far more time with jiu-jitsu.

What childhood dance brought to grappling

Delpesche danced throughout her childhood and sees a practical connection between that experience and moving on the mat. She trained in boxing for about a year and attended a few kickboxing classes, but neither drew her in as strongly as jiu-jitsu’s grappling. The physical challenge is only part of what has kept her involved.

Resilience and relationships beyond the gym

She credited jiu-jitsu with teaching her resilience, perseverance and emotional control. Delpesche also said the people she has met through training have helped her outside the gym. She sees those relationships as part of the sport’s value, while acknowledging that people in jiu-jitsu can still behave badly; she did not attribute such conduct to the sport itself.

What does Ali Delpesche do outside jiu-jitsu?

Ali Delpesche described an active life away from grappling: she explores trails, visits restaurants, plays golf and spends time with friends. She said she prefers trying new things and getting outdoors to going to clubs or parties, a distinction she made when asked how she enjoys herself outside training.

Walks and trail exploration give her a way to stay active without treating every outing as a workout. Restaurants and golf offer different ways to spend time away from the gym. She did not name a favorite course, trail or restaurant; her point was that she likes variety.

Delpesche also spoke warmly about simply hanging out with friends. For her, an active lifestyle includes those ordinary plans as well as the six weekly jiu-jitsu sessions and regular weightlifting she described earlier.

How does Ali Delpesche hope to earn a living through jiu-jitsu?

Ali Delpesche wants jiu-jitsu to become her livelihood, whether through coaching, owning a gym, seminars or further competitive opportunities. She mentioned Abu Dhabi as a possible destination and called her recent Hayabusa sponsorship a step toward growing in the sport rather than a finished career plan.

Hayabusa sponsorship and future work

The sponsorship mattered to Delpesche because it gave her a sign of progress toward a larger goal. She wants to expand what she does in jiu-jitsu and would rather grapple and stay active than work in an office. Coaching and gym ownership were possibilities she raised, not jobs she claimed to have secured.

She also mentioned seminars and a possible trip to Abu Dhabi among the opportunities she hopes to pursue. Those ambitions go beyond any one November match: Delpesche wants a way to keep participating in the sport while making a living from it.

What will Ali Delpesche bring to her Sky Fight League match?

Ali Delpesche expects to pursue submissions from both top and bottom position at Sky Fight League. She said she plans to keep moving rather than stall, and hopes people from her gym and other gyms where she cross-trains can support her in Toronto or watch from home.

Delpesche gave Ram At The Fights her clearest description of the game she intends to bring:

I like hunting for the submissions. I can work from top or bottom.

She expects that approach to produce constant motion. It is the same trust in her own grappling that she described when discussing Jody The scan: without relying on footage of her opponent, Delpesche is focused on positions and submissions she can pursue herself.

Toronto is close enough that she hopes some training partners and supporters can attend. If they cannot, she said they can still follow the event from home. The November 28 Sky Fight League card is set to include MMA and grappling matches inside a cage, with a live pay-per-view stream on MILLIONS.