Ruben Saldaña

Coach Ruben Saldaña is founder of Ru Camp in Florida, the Youth Crime Prevention Hub of the United States Fight League which utilizes Youth Mixed Martial Arts and Credible Messenger Mentors for at-risk kids. After being incarcerated as a former Miami gang leader while a kid himself in the early 1990’s, he has demonstrated statistically that preventing the prison cage through safer sporting mixed martial arts (MMA– no headshots) works with kids at risk of being locked up. After close to six years of training hundreds of kids at no cost to them in the highest crime areas, there has not been a single arrest under Ruben’s watch nor has he required any ambulance assistance during hundreds of training sessions and competitions. His kids have competed all over the United States with amazing winning records. Ruben believes the sport of youth MMA is often misjudged as are at-risk kids and formerly incarcerated individuals who have demonstrated change in their lives. He has proven that they can become the true community healers when given the proper resources.