Marco Ruas – MMA Legend

By new MMA Blaster Contributor Scott Salem


Bad management is why he’s not a household name in the world of mixed martial arts. Bad management is why he never really sold a lot of UFC tickets.

Of course, he could have done both of those things if he had a manager who believed in him.

The mixed martial artist in question is the great Marco Ruas. He had just 15 professional fights and all but one occurred after his 30th birthday.

“I feel mad for that. I wanted to fight more fights.”

His professional record is 9-4-2. His was 4-2 in six UFC bouts.

His shining moment occurred in 1995 when he won the tournament competed at UFC 7: The Brawl in Buffalo. He did so by defeating Larry Cureton, Remco Pardoel, and Paul Varelans.
Ruas made Cureton and Pardoel tap out. He then captured the tournament title with a TKO of Varelans. Varelans is seven inches taller than the 6’1” Ruas and outweighed him by more than a hundred pounds.

In December, at Ultimate Ultimate 1995, Ruas defeated Keith Hackney. At the same event, he lost to Oleg Taktarov via a controversial decision. The two fought nearly a year later but the match ended in a draw.

From there, Ruas had six more pro fights. He won half of them. Two of his three losses occurred to Maurice Smith, once at UFC 21 in July of 1999 and then again at an IFL event in 2007. During the last fight, Ruas was 46.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Ruas is the founder of Ruas Vale Tudo, a mix of kickboxing and Brazilian submission fighting. While he was admired for his awesome kicking skills, Ruas brought a well-rounded style to MMA during an era when everyone was concentrating on jiu-jitsu.

“I trained everything, a long time before everybody. I trained judo, I trained karate, I trained capoeira, luta livre, jiu-jitsu. I trained everything.”

His professional record may not be as robust as others, but if you include his street fights, estimated to be somewhere between 300 and 1,000 contests, his resume easily enters legendary status.

Regardless of the number, he didn’t just fight on the streets of Rio. He won.

“In the streets, I’m undefeated. Nobody beat me.”

That leads us to his nickname, “King of the Streets.” It’s a clever play on words as Ruas means “streets” in Portuguese, the official language of Brazil.

Quotes taken from MMA Junkie article: “Pioneer Marco Ruas looks back on contribution to MMA, wishes he'd had more UFC fights.” published 12/26/16

Photo Credit: Doug Churchill on location at Emily studio on the Street Scene set. Courtesy of Flickr. Believed to be in the public domain.

Top UFC 100 Fights Snubs

The UFC counted down the supposed list of the 100 top UFC fights of the promotion's illustrious 16 year existence on Spike TV. However, this list is basically a device to publicize and push its video game and current fighters.

Any fighter on the outs with the UFC was not listed unless it is a fight they lost. The best high kick in UFC history, Yves Edwards ridiculous high kick of Josh Thomson, is mysteriously left out. My guess is that it had something to do with Thomson winning the Strikeforce LW Championship.

Regardless, these ten fights are absolute gems in the history of the UFC. Each fight was a war, epitomizing the energy and excitement that is illuminates the top fight promotion in the world.

Top 10 Snubs:

1. Frank Shamrock v. Tito Ortiz at UFC 22- An epic battle for a championship belt that has been the finest fight in the history of the UFC. In the beginning, the brash, young and explosive Ortiz was able to get takedowns and ground and pound. Shamrock worked shots from the bottom position, and eventually wore Ortiz down. During a missed shot in the fourth round, Shamrock pounded Ortiz with punches. An incredible bout that was a comeback and a triumph.

(Frank with 4 UFC belts)

2. Marco Ruas v. Paul Varelens at UFC 7- The brawl in Buffalo featured an epic battle not seen since Royce Gracie v. Kimo. After Marco submitted Larry Cureton and Remco Pardoel, he had to face a giant smashing machine in Paul Varelens. Marco came out in the finale throwing the first effective leg kicks in MMA competiton, reddening the thigh of Varelens. Ruas also threw the first footstomps that looked absolutely nasty. Combine with bare-knuckle punches and after 13 minutes, Varelens was chopped down like a big redwood.

(Ruas throwing a nasty leg kick on Varelans)

3. Bas Rutten vs Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at UFC 18- An epic battle between two of the elite strikers of the day. The ending of this fight was one of the best technical flurries of all time, as Bas landed all his big punches to get the KO around 14 minutes in.

(Bas Rutten with UFC and Pancrase belts)

4. Yves Edwards v. Josh Thomson at UFC 49- One of the best rounds ever fought, as these two lightweights laid everything on the line. Near the end of the first, a scramble occured and as Thomson threw a spinning backfist, Edwards came out with a jumping/flying kick that landed flush to Thomson's face. By far the best head kick in the history of the UFC.

(Edwards head kick)

5. Dan Severn v. Anthony Macias at UFC 4- While this bout ended in quick fashion, it was the first demonstration of how wrestling could be utilized in mixed martial arts. Severn landed two perfect belly to back suplexes which had the crowd in a hysteria. To finish, Severn used his trademark Severn rear naked choke, torquing Macias' chin towards him. Despite being his debut mixed martial arts fight, Severn dominated.

(Severn with UFC belts)

6. Oleg Taktarov v. Tank Abbott at UFC 6- The finale at UFC 6 was an outstanding battle of striker versus sambo. Both men fought hard in the high altitude of the Rocky Mountains, throwing everything they had. After 17 minutes of straight fighting, Oleg was able to slap a rear naked choke on the Tank. After the victory, Oleg and Tank laid on the canvas unable to get up. Oxygen was needed.

7. Andre "Big Chief" Roberts v. Ron Waterman at UFC 21- These two super-heavyweights threw big leather, with muscle bound Waterman having Roberts all but put away. However, the Native American Roberts was able to pull off a huge upset and comeback, knocking out Waterman after a big right, left, right combo and punches to the stunned Waterman.

8. Goran Reljic v. Wilson Gouveia at UFC 84- This fight featured outstanding kickboxing, as Reljic landed head and body kicks at will with good snap. Near the end of the first, Gouveia came back with flurries of punches. In the second, Gouveia got the most of the stand-up and a takedown. After it was stood back up, Reljic landed a power left, then a barrage of hammerfists for the win.

9. Royce Gracie v. Dan Severn at UFC 4- Severn took Gracie down at will, landing ground and pound shots repeatedly. What happened at the 15 minute mark was a tight triangle choke, the first time it had been seen in UFC competition.

10. Tito Ortiz v. Guy Mezger II at UFC 19- The rematch was fast and furious combination of grappling, striking and submission attempts. Tito came out on top.

MMA Blaster Turns 2

MMA Blaster has enjoyed 2 great years of success and over 150,000 hits. Everyone from the United States, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Sweden, France, United Kingdom, Australia and everyone else in between thanks for visiting. Here are some random cool MMA pics:


(Cung Le kick on Frank Shamrock)

(Mark Miller KO'ing Josh Neer in IFL)


(Gerald Harris slams Benji Radach in IFL)

(Marco Ruas kicks Paul Varelans at UFC 7)

MMA Blaster on MMA Junkie Part 2

"TUF" HEAVYWEIGHTS NEEDED

If there is one constant rule in MMA, it's that a good heavyweight fighter is hard to find. That's why the UFC should cultivate its own talent with the six-week training course and tournament better known as "The Ultimate Fighter." The obvious obstacle is finding quality competitors, and the twist would be to go international. Advertise it as U.S. vs. World. Get the eight U.S. big boys by sniping some ex-IFL and EliteXC talent, fighters from YAMMA Pit Fighting's eight-man tournament, and tryouts. Internationally, find the fighters from top camps in Russia, Brazil, Australia, Holland, France, UK, Japan and Canada. The dynamic in the house and gaps in cultures would be unlike any other season. For coaches, rather than a six-month layoff for top fighters, go old school. For the U.S., Dan Severn, Don Frye or Mo Smith. For World, Marco Ruas, Pedro Rizzo or Oleg Taktarov.