Ryan "Rhino" Yarbrough is a North Carolina-based freestyle fighter and Master instructor known for competing in numerous martial arts styles, including boxing, kickboxing, karate, Muay Thai, Bare Knuckle Karate , Gi , No Gi , Sport JuJitsu (MMA) , Combat Jiu Jitsu in cage and BJJ super fights in the cage .  He started learning MMA in 1995 . Focus on HapKiDo , JuJitsu , & Karate and started American NinJutsu in 2003 under Sensei Tim & Frank Ross and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2007 . Ryan , founded Yarbrough Martial Arts Academy in 2005 and is recognized for his extensive experience in various combat sports tournaments . over a period of more than two decades since he started competing in boxing 2001 . 

• Fighting career: Yarbrough has a professional background in various martial arts disciplines, including boxing, karate, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and JuJitsu winning small amounts in Toughman contest , karate , kickboxing, and Jujitsu . Ryan is known for accepting the trophy and giving the check back to the promoter telling him to put the money towards the tournament for next year . 
  
  
• Fight record: Ryan has a freestyle fight record of 113 fights, with 76 wins and 37 losses.
• Notable accomplishments: He has earned 3x world titles in Jiu Jitsu in three different divisions Japanese Sport JuJitsu / Gi Jiu Jitsu / No Gi Submission grappling and distinctions, such as being a tri-state karate champion competing in both point and continuous karate in black belt division and won empty hand & weapon Kata and went undefeated in the self defense division's since 2005 to 2023 , a bronze medal winner in bare-knuckle karate at the Old School Karate Nationals in 2014 World Championship, Bronze NC state IKF sanctioned Muay Thai kickboxing and a NAGA black belt division submission grappling tournament champion.
• Tradional Martial Arts Background 

1995 - 2025 black belt in Korean Hapkido & TaeKwondo under Derman Hodge whom trained under his father Master Hodge and Grand Master Kim from South Korea . 

1995 - 2025  black belt in Karate under Grand Master Robert Shook Chinese Dragon Kempo than switched to Kenpo Karate under Grand Master Sam Albright 

1995 - 2025 black belt in JuJitsu under Soke Kirk Simmons to Hanshi Chris MacDonald . to Grand Master Derman Hodge under Sokura Tanaka from Japan 

2003 - 2018 black belt American Ninjutsu & outdoor survival under Sensei Tim Ross 

2003 - 2025 black belt  American Kickboxing under 1990 middle weight world champion Kickboxer and Karate Hanshi Ernest Dukes 

2007 - 2025 black belt Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Professor Danny Lane  

Ryan is nationally known for teaching the self defense art of Korean Hapkido .

In 2005 When Ryan started Yarbrough Martial Arts Academy he only taught Hapkido but he added to his teachers art of Hapkido . 
1. Ryan being a fighter believed the art needed better sparring . 
So he trained students for point karate , kickboxing , and ground grappling submission tournaments.

2. He added more weaponry to Hapkido from his Ninjutsu and Karate background.

3. Ground defense turned into more JuJitsu .

So Ryan didn't invent the wheel . He simply added to it and opened his own association calling it : 

The Elite Freestyle Hapkido Association 

Ryan put this idea on dvd and got a contract to sell it at The store of martial arts .
By 2012 Ryan Tri state annual martial arts camps grew to a nationwide event . 
Ryan had the honor of certifying HapkidoKa/ or Hapkidoist east to west coast . In Mossuri , Kansas , Texas , Oregon , Wisconsin, Ohio , NC , SC , TN , Fl , NY , and Connecticut. 
Since 2005 Ryan has promoted a little over 50 black belts hands on . He prides himself on the low numbers . Says it's more meaningful to make people earn it hands on !