Marco Antônio de Lima Ruas ( ; born January 23, 1961) is a retired mixed martial arts fighter and instructor.
Biography
He is famous for being the founder of
Ruas Vale Tudo, a
hybrid of Brazilian
submission fighting and
kickboxing. He has instructed fighters such as
Pedro Rizzo and
Renato Sobral. Some would regard him as one of the earliest pioneers of the now established MMA world of a complete fighter - being able to strike, takedown and finish with submissions. His short fighting career was likely due to his age and a 'peak' accumulation of injuries (knee & various others) - it might have been the case that if he had been a younger man and caught American MMA at the height of its popularity he may well have proved to be a much more impactive fighter.
He also used to train capoeira with renowned Mestre Camisa in Rio de Janeiro at the Santa Luzia club, downtown Rio.
Ruas competed in early Ultimate Fighting Championship events, winning UFC 7 in a classic fight against 6'8", 330lb Paul Varelans. He also faced down opponent Oleg Taktarov in UFC's Ultimate Ultimate, but lost via unanimous decision. Ruas would go on to a draw with Taktarov a year later, winning the WVC Super Fight belt in the process. He returned briefly to fight former heavyweight champion Maurice Smith in UFC 21, but lost by TKO.
Personal life
Ruas is married and has three daughters. Marco's first recorded fight was in
1984. Marco's nickname is "The King of the Streets" (Ruas actually means "streets" in Portuguese).
Marco lives in Laguna Niguel, California and coached the Southern California Condors in the International Fight League before the organization's collapse.
Mixed martial arts record
{| class="wikitable"
|colspan=8 style="text-align: center"|8-4-2 (wins-losses-draws)
|-
! Result
! Opponent
! Method
! Event Title
! Date
! Round
! Time
! Notes
|-
| Loss
|
Maurice Smith
| TKO (Corner Stoppage)
| IFL - Chicago
| 05/19/2007
| 4
| 3:43
|-
| Win
|
Jason Lambert
| Submission (Heel Hook)
| UP 1 - Ultimate Pankration 1
| 11/11/2001
| 1
| 0:56
|-
| Loss
|
Maurice Smith
| TKO (Corner Stoppage)
|
UFC 21 - Return Of The Champions
| 07/16/1999
| 1
| 5:00
|-
| Loss
|
Alexander Otsuka
| TKO (Corner Stoppage)
|
PRIDE 4
| 10/11/1998
| 2
| 10:00
|-
| Win
|
Gary Goodridge
| Submission (Heel Hook)
|
PRIDE 2
| 3/15/1998
| 1
| 09:09
|-
| Win
|
Patrick Smith
| Submission (Heel Hook)
| WVC 4 - World Vale Tudo Championship 4
| 3/16/1997
| 1
| 0:39
|-
| style="background: #c5d2ea"|Draw
|
Oleg Taktarov
| Draw
| WVC 2 - World Vale Tudo Championship 2
| 11/10/1996
| 1
| 31:12
|-
| Win
|
Steve Jennum
| Submission (Strikes)
| WVC 1 - World Vale Tudo Championship 1
| 8/14/1996
| 1
| 1:44
|-
| Loss
|
Oleg Taktarov
| Decision
|
UFC - Ultimate Ultimate 1995
| 12/16/1995
| 1
| 18:00
|-
| Win
|
Keith Hackney
| Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
|
UFC - Ultimate Ultimate 1995
| 12/16/1995
| 1
| 2:39
|-
| Win
|
Paul Varelans
| TKO (Strikes)
|
UFC 7 - The Brawl in Buffalo
| 9/8/1995
| 1
| 13:17
| Won UFC 7 Tournament
|-
| Win
| Remco Pardoel
| Submission (Position)
|
UFC 7 - The Brawl in Buffalo
| 9/8/1995
| 1
| 12:27
|-
| Win
|
Larry Cureton
| Submission (Heel Hook)
|
UFC 7 - The Brawl in Buffalo
| 9/8/1995
| 1
| 3:23
|-
| style="background: #c5d2ea"|Draw
|
Fernando Pinduka
| Draw
| JJ vs MA - Jiu-Jitsu vs Martial Arts
| 11/30/1984
| 1
| 20:00
|}
Titles
References
External links
Official GYM Marco Ruas
Marco Ruas IFL Page
Category:1961 births
Category:Living people
Category:Brazilian mixed martial artists
![Marco Ruas vs Francisco - Ruas Vale Tudo [Brasil - July 1992]](http://web.archive.org./web/20101209020406im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PaQSlT8Xsx4/2.jpg "Marco Ruas vs Francisco - Ruas Vale Tudo [Brasil - July 1992]")
