10 Likes
Oh sheeeeiiiiiiitt dis gon be good!!
2 Likes
Dive into the incredible story of Marco Ruas, the barefoot Brazilian who stepped into the UFC octagon before the sport even had a name. Often called the forgotten pioneer, Ruas arrived at UFC 7 in 1995 with a revolutionary well-rounded game—blending Muay Thai devastation, judo throws, jiu-jitsu mastery, and luta livre grappling—that shattered the era of pure specialists. Watch as he dismantles opponents like Larry Cureton with early heel hooks, outstrikes Remco Pardoel, and methodically chops down the massive Paul Varelans with those legendary low kicks that echoed through the arena.
We explore his gritty Rio origins, training under legends like Oswaldo Alves and Luis Alves, his vale tudo roots, the rivalry with the Gracies that never fully materialized, his dominant UFC 7 tournament win that proved versatility was the future, later battles against names like Oleg Taktarov and Maurice Smith, and the heartbreaking what-if matchup with Don Frye that fans still debate. Beyond the cage, Ruas’s lasting impact shines through as a coach—he mentored Pedro Rizzo, whose devastating leg kicks carried Ruas’s influence forward to shape fighters like Jose Aldo.
If you’re into MMA history, early UFC pioneers, or the evolution from vale tudo to modern mixed martial arts, this mini documentary uncovers why Ruas was truly ahead of his time—the first complete fighter who forced the sport to evolve.
OH HELL YES !!! MMA POD Double Dippin This Week
@ErikApple
2 Likes
I’m stoked for the Paul Buentello one too. Gonna try and get through these this week while I do my trucking job.
Ahhhhhhh!!! Hell yeah! One of my all time favorites
2 Likes
I heard Marco was rough with students.
2 Likes
Ruas was one of the greatest fighters in his day
Ruas vs Frye
Ruas vs Ken Shamrock
Ruas vs Rickson
Ruas vs Severn (wish it would have happened at UU95)..
Wish we would have seen a few of those matchups
4 Likes
All great fights
Can you imagine Ruas vs Bas?
5 Likes
ask @ErikApple was a student of Marco and Pedro Rizzo by my house
2 Likes
Hey, EirckApple, is it true??
1 Like
That is another good one but they trained together so I don’t think we would have got that one.. I bet Ruas dominated him on the ground
We were very close to getting Ruas/Frye at ufc 9 but Marco backed out
Oh for fucks sake hkp stop posting threads for shit that doesnt exist yet. Post it when it is live and we’ll click on it and watch it.
It sounds to me like they beat the fuck out of one another regularly in training. I don’t have any inside knowledge, but I bet they would have fought if the money was there. Sometimes as a prize fighter you have to fight your pals.
1 Like
Yep I remember reading stories as Russ, Rutten and Kerr all trained together .. I remember them saying Ruas hurt Bas with kicks .. I’m curious how well Ruas did with Kerr on the ground..? I can’t imagine Marco having much of an answer for Kerrs size and grappling ability
What, friend?
OH STFU
It’s annoying. You are annoying.