Marco Ruas

Rio de Janeiro Vale Tudo:
(Date: ???, 1984)

Drew with Fernando Pinduka (Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu) ???

Manaus Vale Tudo
(Date: ???, 1992)

Defeated Neném by ???

Defeated Chicão by ???

UFC VII
(Date: ???, 1995)

Defeated Larry Cureton (Kickboxing) by submission (Ankle-lock) at ???.

Defeated Remco Pardoel (Jiu-Jitsu) by submission at ???

Defeated Paul Varelans (Trapfighting) by submission (strikes) at 13:22.

UUFC '95
(Date: ?? December, 1995)

Defeated Keith Hackney (Kenpo Karate) by submission (Choke) at ???

Drew with Oleg Taktarov (Sambo) at 30"

WVC I
(Date: ???, 1996)

Defeated Steve Jennum (Ninjitsu) by submission (Strikes) at ???

WVC II
(Date: November 10th, 1996)

Drew with Oleg Taktarov (Sambo) at 30"

WVC IV
(Date: March 16th, 1997)

Defeated Pat Smith (Kickboxing) by submission (ankle lock)at 0:30

Notes:

Dropped out of the UFC twice (UFC 9, UUFC '96) because of a low asking amount...... Drew twice with Oleg Taktarov, losing once according to judges (UUFC '95) and winning once (WVC II)... Voted by the Japanese as the most complete fighter of 1995.....

Personal Profile:

Marco Antônio Lima Ruas was born in 23/1/61, and is married to Luciana, and has two daughters (Ana Carolina and Luana). He is 6'1" and weighs 220 lbs. He desn't reveal his age to anybody, including even promoters of fights. I got it from Vale Tudo magazine.

The first challenge:

"I've always enjoyed fighting. My father was a boxing and martial arts fan. I started practising martial arts when I was 9. I started off with basic self-defence classes, then did Judo, Tae Kwon Do and Capoeira. Later on I moved on to Luta Livre, and a little later a friend took me to have boxing lessons." Marco says that when he was 15, he was so into martial arts that he didn't even have time for a girlfriend.

Marco's carreer in Brazil wasn't easy. His first Vale Tudo fight was against Fernando Pinduka, the best Carlson Gracie trained fighter at the time. The fight ended up in a draw. "It was my first fight in a kind of event I wasn't familiar with, and fought a Grcaie trained fighter. I was 23 years old, and weighed only 167 lbs, and yet fought a much heavier and more experienced guy than me. The ref was against me. I consider that fight a win because of all that." says Ruas.

After that, Marco's carrer "froze" for 10 years. He took part in 2 fights in Manaus, winning both. When he was already thinking about giving up fighting, came the great chance.

Controversy with the Gracie family:

"I never fought a Gracie, I only fought once with one of their representatives, Pinduka. I don't have anything against them personally. They choose who they fight against, and usually put representatives in their place. Rickson, Royce and Renzo were the Gracies who fought. I was getting upset because they were getting a lot of attention, and if you didn't fight Jiu-Jitsu you wouldn't accomplish anything."

When spoken about Rickson's constant attacks, where he says that Marco is a fighter who makes a lot of mistakes, and has no technique, Ruas responds that "Talk is cheap. He has to step up in the ring and prove what he says. He can't throw a punch, he can't throw a kick, and he hasn't fought in 2 years. But when someone asks him what a fight against me would be like, he says he doesn't see anything special about it. So why doesn't he step up and break my face? That has nothing to do with him cutting me down. After all, I'm Brazilian!"

The American Way of Life

In the US, Marco is spreading Ruas Vale Tudo, the style he patented. "I put my name together with a kind of fight well known in Brazil and now throughout the world, Vale Tudo. I put together all the efficient aspects of each fighting style, like the Muay Thai micks, the Boxing punches, and the grappling from Luta Livre, Judo and Jiu-Jitsu, things which work in a Vale Tudo fight.", Ruas explains.

Among his plans are opening an academy in the US and produce another video series, besides the 6 already for sale. Marco is already settled in Los Angeles and doesn't plan in coming back.

The Supporting Crew

Marco Ruas is constantly in Rio, training with guys from here to stay in shape. His training partners are: Claudio Coelho (Boxing), Vírgilio Moura (Judo, João Ricardo (Vale Tudo), Roberto Leitão Filho (Luta Livre), Luis Alves (Muay Thai), Pedro Rizzo, Marcelo Aguiar, Marcos André and Sergio Gaúcho (sparring partners) and Sergio Tucano (fitness).

Plans for the future

"I want to fight the Ultimate Ultimate champion, which will be determined in December. If it's Coleman, I'll get him.", says Ruas. He was received an offer to fight in the Ultimate Ultimate, but it was too low. "I'll earn more fighting in single matches". I have to look at the financial side as well, I have a family after all. When the fans want to see me, I really feel like fighting, but there are 2 sides to the UFC. If you win, great, but if you lose you are forgotten."

The Ultimate Challenge

"After UFC VII, which I won, my carreer took off. There people appreciate you. If I win here, people wouldn't care much. I don't have many friends here. Now its different. I made a name for myself in Brazil because I won abroad."

Ruas doesn't fight any person who steps up nowadays. "The guys who want to fight me now that I have a name for myself, have to go through all I went. I like it, and will fight, when they're on the same level I'm on.

Sweet Revenge

In the Maksoud Plaza, in São Paulo, there would be a revenge theme. On the 10th of November, at 4 pm, around 1000 fans filled the place to watch Marco Ruas fight Oleg Taktarov for the WVC Superfight.

The fight ended in a draw, since there was no submission in 30 min. Taktarov was a bloody mess, but Ruas was fine. The ref raised Marco's hand in the end, a sign that he was the better man that night.

"I waited a long time for this chance. I didn't lose the UUFC '95, when I faced Taktarov for the 1st time, because I think losing is when you tap or are knocked out. The ref had said a day earlier that is anyone cut their eye the fight would be stopped. I opened a cut in his eye, cut his nose, but the fight wasn't stopped, and Taktarov won unanimously, not even by split decision", says Marco.