Issue 105

September 2013

One of Brazil’s first MMA stars, the "King of the Streets" reflects on a life as a vale tudo pioneer and making his name as a 16-year-old.

You competed on some of the earliest no-holds-barred and MMA events in UFC 7, Pride 2 and 3, to name a few. What are your thoughts looking back now at your time spent in the Octagon and in the Pride ring?

“Ever since I was a kid, I knew I wanted to grow up to become a professional mixed martial arts vale tudo fighter. I wanted to prove I was a real fighter and I could surpass any pressure. I had the vision of Ruas Vale Tudo – Ruas Mixed Martial Arts. I wanted to defend my name and not fight under anyone. 

“I grabbed this opportunity and I believed in myself. When I went to fight in UFC 7 I had no clue who my opponents were. A raffle was organized to set up my three fights with three different fighters. I didn’t have a chance to study my opponents or to create a fighting strategy because I didn’t know who I would fight with. The only strategy was to win.”

Do you keep in touch with anyone you worked with in the early days of the sport? 

“Yes, I keep in touch with Pedro Rizzo, Glover Teixeira and Stephen Quadros.”

Your nickname ‘King of the Streets’ could have been established because Ruas actually means ‘streets’ in Portuguese, but there is also a mythological aura surrounding your fighting history on the streets of Brazil. Can you share a story with us that highlights your street fighting legend?

“When I was 16 years old I became very respected in my neighborhood. I went out with my oldest brother, Otavio, to a bar to watch a soccer match. The bar did not allow minors but usually in Brazil you could get away with that. 

“There were two much respected security guards. They were the strongest black men in my neighborhood. They approached me and said, ‘Get out of here you little f****t.’ So I told them to go meet me outside. As I was walking out, I tried to look for a stick or something to use because these guys were much bigger than me. Once I was outside, one of the guards grabbed me from the back and locked my arms. My oldest brother tried to punch him from the back. It was enough of a distraction that I was able to get my arms free. Although I had taekwondo training, my biggest strength at the time was boxing. 

“I was able to punch the guy’s face many times to knock him down. At the same time the other guard came from behind and tried to knock me out with a pool stick. Luckily I ducked down just in time for him to miss my head. I turned around and beat him up and left the bar with my brother. Before this fight these two men were the most respected and fierce in the neighborhood but they got beat up by a 16-year-old boy so that title was passed down to me.”

Do you follow the sport as a fan? Do you have favorite fighters you enjoy watching today?

“I enjoy watching Anderson Silva, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Jon Jones and José Aldo.”

Which is the one fight from your career every MMA fan should see, and why?

“If I could choose one fight from my career it would be my fight with Paul Varelans. Being the last fight in the UFC 7 tournament, it was a fight for the belt. It was the biggest fight of my life and it opened many doors.”