Marco Antônio de Lima Ruas(Portuguese pronunciation:[ˈmaʁkuˈʁuɐs];born 23 January 1961) is a Brazilian formermixed martial artsfighter,submission wrestler,kickboxerand instructor. Ruas was theUFC 7 Tournament Champion,and also competed for the World Vale Tudo Championship (WVC),PRIDE Fighting Championshipsand theInternational Fight League,where he head-coached theSouthern California Condors.
| Marco Ruas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 23 January 1961 Rio de Janeiro,Brazil[1] |
| Other names | The King of the Streets |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Weight | 95.2 kg (210 lb; 15 st 0 lb) |
| Style | Luta Livre Esportiva,Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,Judo,Muay Thai,Taekwondo,Capoeira,Boxing,Wrestling,Vale Tudo |
| Fighting out of | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Team | Ruas Vale Tudo |
| Rank | 9th Dan Black Belt inLuta Livre Esportiva 3rd Dan Black Belt inBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu 3rd Dan Black Belt inJudo 1st Dan Black Belt inTaekwondo Black CordinCapoeira Black Pra JiadinMuay Thai |
| Years active | 1984–2001, 2007 |
| Mixed martial artsrecord | |
| Total | 15 |
| Wins | 9 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 7 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts recordfromSherdog | |
Ruas is a pioneer ofMixed martial arts,having fought in a high-profileVale Tudobout in 1984,[2]and later winning theUFC 7tournament in 1995, begin the second Brazilian UFC champion and fourth overall of the organization. Although he was billed as a representative ofLuta Livreand thus a high-level submissiongrappler,he was an equally capable and skilledMuay Thaistriker with experience inCapoeira,Boxing,andTaekwondo.He was able to synthesize both grappling and striking into one style, known for being one of the first proponents ofcross-trainingto compete in mixed martial arts events, and is considered one of the first well-rounded fighters and true "mixed martial artist". This is represented by his famous quote after winning his fight in WVC 4: "If you grapple me, I punch and kick you. If you punch and kick me, I grapple you. There's no way out."[3]
Ruas transformed his style in his ownhybrid martial artwhich he called "Ruas Vale Tudo". In some later events, his fighting style was simply billed as "Vale Tudo".[4]
Biography
editRuas was born inRio de Janeiro,Brazil in 1961. He started his career trainingBoxing,Taekwondo,Judo,andCapoeira,the latter with renownedJosé Tadeu Carneiro Cardosoin Rio de Janeiro at the Santa Luzia club, downtown Rio. However, his primary martial arts eventually becameLuta Livre,which he trained underRoberto Leitão Sr.,[5]andMuay Thai,which he trained under Luiz Alves, a student of Nélio "Naja" Borges, the man who introduced Thai boxing to Brazil.[6]
As a black belt in Luta Livre, who faced up a legendary quarrel against theBrazilian Jiu-Jitsufighters in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1984, he participated of theNoite das Artes Marciais( "Night of the Martial Arts" ) event, fought by representatives of BJJ against representatives ofMuay Thai,Kung Fu,KickboxingandLuta Livre.Ruas represented Muay Thai fighting a match against BJJ representative Fernando Pinduka, he used his Luta Livre skills to counter Pinduka's grappling and the match went to draw.[7]After the match against Pinduka, he started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu with Osvaldo Alves.[8]Later he trainedJoe Moreirabefore his fight against the Russian boxer Yuri Vaulin. Seeing his good skills in grappling, Moreira gave him a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and caused a commotion and controversy among his fellow Brazilians, due the rivalry between the two martial arts.[9]His instructors includedEuclydes Hatem.[citation needed]
Eventually, Ruas became famous among the Brazilian martial arts circle and one of the most regarded non-BJJ fighters in Brazil due his philosophy ofCross-Trainingand in synthesizing all martial arts he knew for both Vale Tudo contests and self-defense into a newhybrid martial arthe dubbed "Ruas Vale Tudo".[3][4]However, this philosophy also caused controversy among Brazilian fighters and he was labelled as aCreonteby not only BJJ but also by Luta Livre fighters.[10]
In 1991 he was going to participate inDesafio - Jiu Jitsu vs Luta Livre,an event fought as a challenge between fighters from the two martial arts, Ruas was cast to fight BJJ representativeAmaury Bitettibut cancelled his participation and Bitetti was declared winner byW.O.[11]Instead, in 1992 he promoted his own event inManauswhere he defeated Francisco Borges with arear naked choke.[12]Eventually he attracted the attention of Brazilian manager and fight promoterFrederico Lapendaand was able to get the 34-year-old fighter into theUltimate Fighting Championship.[3]
Ruas debuted in the Ultimate Fighting Championship at theUFC 7event in 1995. At the event, he was billed representing "Vale Tudo".[13]He firstly faced Larry Cureton, who outweighed him by 40 lbs, but Ruas submitted him with aheel hookafter a methodical grapple. His next opponent was the judokaRemco Pardoel,who early tried aguillotine choke,but Ruas blocked it and grinded him with foot stomps. After a failed heel hook attempt, Ruas controlled Pardoel and attacked him with knees and punches on the ground, making him tap out. Ruas's final fight was against 6'8 ", 330 lbPaul Varelans,and he showed his muay thai skills by overwhelming Varelans with punch combos and repeated leg kicks. He also used again his characteristic foot stomps when Paul clinched him against the cage. At the end, Varelans could not take more kicks to his legs and fell to the ground, where Ruas pounded him until the referee stopped the fight, giving Ruas the victory of the tournament.
Thanks to his victory in UFC 7, Ruas was invited to theUltimate Ultimateevent. He defeatedKeith Hackneyby choke with ease, but his next opponente,Oleg Taktarov,made a tougher contest. Both fighters used a passive approach to the fight, with Ruas blocking Taktarov's takedown attempts and seizing all the opportunities to strike him, actually making him bleed profusely. However, the judges gave the decision win to Taktarov, and Ruas was eliminated from the tournament. This decision was met with controversy, and Ruas and his cornermen appealed to the referee, but nothing came from it. In 1996 he joined the nascent World Vale Tudo Championship (WVC) organized by his managerFrederico Lapenda,fighting in the superfight againstUFC 3 Tournament ChampionSteve JennuminTokyo,Japan.He won easily with a submission to punches and won the WVC Superfight belt. Almost a year after his last UFC fight, he faced Taktarov again in Brazil, in a bout with no judges. The rematch ended in a draw, but Ruas was clearly the most dominating fighter, and he shook hands with Oleg after the fight. He kept the WVC Superfight belt in the process. He finished his run in the organization with his last superfight againstUFC 2finalistPatrick Smithin the WVC 4 event, easily winning with a heel hook.
Ruas briefly joined the stable of Antônio "Sebastião" Lacerda, a wealthy man from the north of Brazil and self-proclaimed "Master of Death" who appeared in Rio de Janeiro in 1996 claiming to have spent a long period of time in Japan learning "the deadly art ofYawara."Despite his dubious credentials, Lacerda was able to recruit some established competitors into his sect, including Ruas and Edson Carvalho, a judo national team member and aCarlson Gracieblack belt. Seeking opportunities to compete professionally, Ruas began training with Lacerda after Lacerda promised to take him to lucrative competitions abroad, on the condition that he agree to merge his style of vale tudo with Lacerda's techniques. Ruas parted ways with Lacerda when he began to question the effectiveness of Lacerda's techniques and practices,[14]but Carvalho continued participating in Lacerda's challenge, constantly attacking not only jiu-jitsu but all fighting styles.[15]
He was then invited toPRIDE Fighting Championshipsin 1998, he first had a match against UFC veteranGary GoodridgeatPRIDE 2,winning with a heel hook after a 9-minute bout. AtPRIDE 4he fought Japaneseshoot wrestlerAlexander Otsuka.In a majorupset,Otsuka fought with tenacity, taking Ruas down and performingground-and-pound,defending a fully lockedrear naked chokeand forcing a TKO by medical stoppage in the second round. It was later revealed that Ruas fought under medication forHepatitisand a knee injury.[16]He returned briefly to UFC to fight former heavyweight championMaurice SmithinUFC 21,but lost by TKO. Ruas suffered an injury in the first round and could not continue.
Around that time, Ruas started to transition from a fighter into a full-time coach, teaching his own "Ruas Vale Tudo" style for a new generation of fighters. Some of his students include UFC light-heavyweight contenderPedro RizzoandStrikeforce light-heavyweight championRenato Sobral.[4][17]He also coachedUFC Featherweight ChampionJosé Aldoin Luta Livre, awarding him ablack beltin the art,[18]and Aldo was also coached striking andleg kicksby Pedro Rizzo, some of Ruas' own fighting style can be seen in Aldo's.[19]
At this point semi-retired, in 2001 Ruas defeatedJason Lambertat Ultimate Pankration in California in less than 1 minute with a heel hook.
Marco Ruas was invited to participate in the newly formed MMA promotionInternational Fight League(IFL). This promotion would be divided into different teams (later becoming simply MMA camps) instead of one-on-one affairs, and at the end one of the seasons one of the teams/camps was crowned champion. Ruas coached the "Southern California Condors"team, later simply known as" Ruas Vale Tudo ". He also came out from retirement and had one rematch againstMaurice Smith(which coached the IFL's "Seattle Tiger Sharks" ) as the superfight for theIFL: Chigacoevent in 2007, which he lost by TKO with a stoppage by his corner. Marco Ruas then fully retired from the sport with a record of 9 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws.
Personal life
editRuas is married and has three daughters.[20]Marco's first recorded fight was in 1984. Marco's nickname is "The King of the Streets" (Ruas actually means "streets" in Portuguese).[21] Marco lives inLaguna Niguel,Californiawhere he operates his own MMA gym "Ruas Vale Tudo".[10]
Feud with Rickson Gracie
editRuas developed a feud withRickson Gracie,both were one of the most skilled and high-profile grapplers of their time, and represent two rival styles that were feuding at the time:Luta LivreandGracie Jiu-Jitsu.The rivalry started in 1988 when promoters tried to match both fighters to aVale Tudomatch. However,Hélio Gracierefused, demanding either that Rickson received a higher payment or that the bout happened inside the Gracie Academy, which were both rejected, so the fight didn't take place.[22]Gracie claims that he then went to Ruas' academy to challenge him. Ruas accepted it but requested four months to train instead of fighting right away in the gym, Gracie denied it since he would leave Brazil to the United States before that.[23]Ruas however, denies this version, saying that he was ready for a fight, but actually Gracie wanted to fight "Luta Livre guys" andHélio Graciewho was accompanying Rickson said Ruas wasn't a "real Luta Livre fighter" due his open advocacy ofcross-training.[24]A few of Ruas' teammates also joined in and the discussion got heated up and Hélio said "Maybe we should make a list of people who want to fight Rickson", one of the fighters who accepted the challenge was Hugo Duarte, who would have his own scraps with Gracie.[23]
A few years later, both Rickson Gracie and Marco Ruas would gain international fame, Rickson Gracie became winner of theVale Tudo Japantournaments in '94 and '95, and headlinedPride 1andPride 4,while Ruas becameUFC 7and WVC champion. Rickson became a big celebrity in Japan and in the burgeoning international MMA scene. He became controversial for criticizing other top fighters and said in interviews that Marco Ruas as "nothing special" and "basic".[25]Ruas responded by saying "Talk is cheap. He has to step up in the ring and prove what he says."[26]and issued multiple challenges against Gracie along the years, claiming he was avoiding him as well as other actually skilled fighters.[24]In the end however, no fight was ever materialized between them.
In popular culture
editRuas made acameo appearanceas a jealous husband inKickboxer 3,in which his character fought and lost toSasha Mitchell's David Sloane at a party.
Instructor lineage
editLuta Livre
editRoberto LeitãoSr. → João Ricardo N. de Almeida → Marco Ruas[5]
Roberto Leitão Sr. → Marco Ruas[8]
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
editMitsuyo Maeda→Carlos Gracie→Helio Gracie→ Francisco Mansur →Joe Moreira→ Marco Ruas[27]
Mitsuyo Maeda→Carlos Gracie→Reyson Gracie→ Osvaldo Alves → Marco Ruas[8]
Judo
editJigoro Kano→Soshihiro Satake→Vinícius Ruas→ Marco Ruas[28]
Capoeira
editManuel dos Reis Machado→José Tadeu Carneiro Cardoso→ Marco Ruas
Muay Thai
editNelio Naja → Luiz Alves → Marco Ruas[29][6]
Taekwondo
editWon Jae Lee → Marco Ruas
Championships and accomplishments
edit- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- World Vale Tudo Championship
- WVC Superfight Championship (one time)
- Rio Boxing Tournament
- Boxing Champion (one time)
Mixed martial arts record
edit| 15 matches | 9 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 3 |
| By submission | 7 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| Draws | 2 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 9–4–2 | Maurice Smith | TKO (corner stoppage) | IFL: Chicago | 19 May 2007 | 4 | 3:43 | Chicago, Illinois,United States | |
| Win | 9–3–2 | Jason Lambert | Submission (heel hook) | Ultimate Pankration 1 | 11 November 2001 | 1 | 0:56 | Cabazon, California,United States | |
| Loss | 8–3–2 | Maurice Smith | TKO (corner stoppage) | UFC 21 | 16 July 1999 | 1 | 5:00 | Cedar Rapids, Iowa,United States | |
| Loss | 8–2–2 | Alexander Otsuka | TKO (corner stoppage) | Pride 4 | 11 October 1998 | 2 | 10:00 | Tokyo,Japan | |
| Win | 8–1–2 | Gary Goodridge | Submission (heel hook) | Pride 2 | 15 March 1998 | 1 | 9:09 | Yokohama,Japan | |
| Win | 7–1–2 | Patrick Smith | Submission (heel hook) | World Vale Tudo Championship 4 | 16 March 1997 | 1 | 0:39 | Brazil | |
| Draw | 6–1–2 | Oleg Taktarov | Draw | World Vale Tudo Championship 2 | 10 November 1996 | 1 | 31:12 | Brazil | |
| Win | 6–1–1 | Steve Jennum | TKO (submission to punches) | World Vale Tudo Championship 1 | 14 August 1996 | 1 | 1:44 | Tokyo,Japan | Won WVC Superfight Championship.[31] |
| Loss | 5–1–1 | Oleg Taktarov | Decision | Ultimate Ultimate 1995 | 16 December 1995 | 1 | 18:00 | Denver, Colorado,United States | Ultimate Ultimate 1995 Tournament Semifinals. |
| Win | 5–0–1 | Keith Hackney | Submission (rear naked choke) | 1 | 2:39 | Ultimate Ultimate 1995 Tournament Quarterfinals. | |||
| Win | 4–0–1 | Paul Varelans | TKO (leg kicks and punches) | UFC 7 | 8 September 1995 | 1 | 13:17 | Buffalo, New York,United States | Won the UFC 7 Tournament. |
| Win | 3–0–1 | Remco Pardoel | Submission (position) | 1 | 12:27 | UFC 7 Tournament Semifinals. | |||
| Win | 2–0–1 | Larry Cureton | Submission (heel hook) | 1 | 3:23 | UFC 7 Tournament Quarterfinals. | |||
| Win | 1–0–1 | Francisco Francisco | Submission (rear naked choke) | Ruas Vale Tudo | 1 July 1992 | 1 | 0:26 | Manaus,Brazil | |
| Draw | 0–0–1 | Fernando Pinduka | Draw | Jiu-Jitsu vs Luta Livre | 30 November 1984 | 1 | 20:00 | Rio de Janeiro,Brazil |
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Kickboxer III: The Art of War | Himself |
| 2004 | The Eliminator | Salvador |
References
edit- ^"Marco Ruas Sherdog Profile".Sherdog.com.
- ^Sherdog.com."JJ vs. MA - Jiu-Jitsu vs. Martial Arts".Sherdog.Retrieved5 January2022.
- ^abcSherdog.com."Why Marco Ruas Should Be in the Hall of Fame".Sherdog.Retrieved5 January2022.
- ^abcPVT (12 September 2019)."Marco Ruas relembra o surgimento do nome Ruas Vale-Tudo no UFC 7".Portal do Vale Tudo(in Brazilian Portuguese).Retrieved5 January2022.
- ^ab"DSTRYRsg: Destroyer Submission Grappling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: KNOW YOUR DNA, THE LUTA LIVRE FAMILY TREE".dstryrsg.com.Archivedfrom the original on 12 September 2014.Retrieved12 September2014.
- ^ab"The Development of Muay Thai: Brazil; Pt. 2".Write. Create. Innovate.Archived fromthe originalon 12 September 2014.
- ^Sherdog.com."JJ vs. MA - Jiu-Jitsu vs. Martial Arts".Sherdog.Retrieved16 December2021.
- ^abc"IMARA - Articoli - Ruas Marco3rd Dan Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu".Archivedfrom the original on 5 March 2016.Retrieved15 February2013.
- ^Joe Moreira
- ^ab"Marco Ruas: Pioneiro do MMA completa 60 anos; legado é divisor de águas no mundo das lutas".Nocaute na Rede(in Brazilian Portuguese). 23 January 2021.Retrieved12 February2022.
- ^"The Biggest Rivalry in Martial Arts History: BJJ vs Luta Livre | BJJ Heroes".Retrieved12 February2022.
- ^Sherdog.com."RVT - Ruas Vale Tudo".Sherdog.Retrieved12 February2022.
- ^Abraham, Joel."UFC 7 Review: Ken Shamrock vs. Oleg Taktarov".Bleacher Report.Retrieved19 May2023.
- ^Marco Ruas relembra histórias da relação com Antônio Lacerda, o "Mestre da Morte": "Maior 171!"Globo.com(17 September 2020)
- ^'Ice Cold' in the Tropical Heat: Igor Vovchanchyn at WVC 5Marcelo Alonso,Sherdog.com(31 January 2022)Archived1 February 2022 at theWayback Machine
- ^Erich Krauss, Brett Aita.Brawl: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Mixed Martial Arts Competition
- ^Sherdog.com."Renato".Sherdog.Retrieved11 February2022.
- ^"Portal do Vale Tudo - José Aldo é graduado faixa preta de luta livre".12 September 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 12 September 2014.Retrieved11 February2022.
- ^"Aldo's striking coach and leg-kick pioneer Pedro Rizzo says that Conor McGregor is the real deal".SportsJOE.ie.29 May 2015.Retrieved11 February2022.
- ^Marco Ruas Biofile.mmamemories.com
- ^Pride Fighting Championships (15 March 1998)."Marco Rua Vs Gary Goodridge Pride 2".The Ultimate Fighting Championship FIGHT PASS.Archivedfrom the original on 13 December 2015.Retrieved6 January2016.
- ^Fellipe Awi,Filho teu não foge à luta,2012, Editora Intrinseca
- ^ab"The Biggest Rivalry in Martial Arts History: BJJ vs Luta Livre | BJJ Heroes".Retrieved22 January2022.
- ^ab"Wanderlei and Marco Ruas challenge Rickson Gracie – ADCC NEWS".4 June 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 4 June 2016.Retrieved22 January2022.
- ^Rickson Gracie interview 4,Onthemat.com
- ^Marco Ruas interview,Reocities
- ^BJJ Heroes (26 July 2010)."Joe Moreira".BJJ Heroes: the jiu jitsu encyclopedia.Archivedfrom the original on 5 August 2014.Retrieved12 September2014.
- ^"Exclusive: Maeda Was Already Teaching Jiu-Jitsu In Rio 10 Years Before The Gracies".Bjj Eastern Europe.Archivedfrom the original on 12 September 2014.Retrieved12 September2014.
- ^T.P. Grant (25 June 2012)."MMA Origins: Brazilian Vale Tudo Evolves As Chute Boxe Emerges".Bloody Elbow.Archivedfrom the original on 15 December 2014.Retrieved12 September2014.
- ^UFC 45: RevolutionArchived5 March 2012 at theWayback Machine.Fighttimes.com (21 November 2003). Retrieved on 2012-08-30.
- ^"Fighters".www.ruasmartialarts.com.Archived fromthe originalon 27 July 2009.Retrieved15 January2022.
