Marco Ruas Biography: Marco Antônio de Lima Ruas is a former Brazilian MMA fighter, submission wrestler, kickboxer, and teacher. He was the UFC 7 Tournament Champion and he has also competed for there World Vale Tudo Championship, PRIDE Fighting Championships, and the International Fight League, where he head-coached the Southern California Condors.
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Marco Ruas Biography
Marco Ruas Biography: Ruas was born in 1961 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As of 2024, he is 63 years old. He began his career by learning Boxing, Taekwondo, Judo, and Capoeira under legendary Mestre Camisa at the Santa Luzia club in Rio de Janeiro. His major martial arts, however, were Luta Livre, which he learned from Roberto Leito Sr., and Muay Thai, which he learned from Luiz Alves, a student of Nélio “Naja” Borges, the man who introduced Thai boxing to Brazil.
Marco Ruas Wikipedia
| Name | Marco Ruas |
| Date Of Birth | 23 January 1961 |
| Age | 63 years old (as of 2024) |
| Birth Place | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Height | 6ft 1inch |
| Weight | 95Kg |
| Zodiac Sign | Aquarius |
| Profession | Mixed Martial Artist |
| Net Worth | $5 Million |
| Car Collection | N/A |
Also Read: Mark Kerr Biography, Wiki, Net Worth, Height, UFC, MMA Career
What is Marco Ruas’s Net Worth?
According to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider, Marco Ruas net worth is more than $5 million.
Marco Ruas Career
As a black belt in Luta Livre, he fought in a famous conflict with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu professionals in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1984, he participated in the Noite das Artes Marciais (Night of the Martial Arts) event, in which BJJ representatives faced Muay Thai, Kung Fu, Kickboxing, and Lua Livre representatives. Ruas represented Muay Thai in a match against Fernando Pinduka, who represented BJJ. Ruas utilized his Luta Livre abilities to counteract Pinduka’s grappling, and the game ended in a draw.
After the match against Pinduka, he began training with Osvaldo Alves in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Later, he instructed Joe Moreira before his bout with the Russian boxer Yuri Vaulin. Due to the rivalry between Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo, Moreira awarded him a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu after observing his grappling ability. This decision caused a stir and controversy among his fellow Brazilians. Among his instructors was Euclydes Hatem.
Due to his philosophy of Cross-Training and his ability to combine all martial arts, he knew both Vale Tudo competitions and self-defense into a new hybrid martial art he dubbed “Ruas Vale Tudo,” Ruas eventually climbed to popularity in the Brazilian martial arts community and became one of the most respected non-BJJ fighters in Brazil.
However, this philosophy also sparked controversy among Brazilian participants, and he became known as a Creonte by BJJ and Luta Livre professionals.
Marco Ruas UFC Career
Marco Ruas began his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC 7 in 1995. He was billed as representing “Vale Tudo” at the event. Ruas submitted Larry Cureton, who was 40 pounds heavier than him, with a heel hook after a methodical grappling. Remco Pardoel, a judoka, attempted an early guillotine cuffs, but Ruas blocked it and ground him with foot stomps.
Ruas controlled Pardoel and forced him to bow out with knees and strikes after an unsuccessful heel hook attempt. Ruas’s final bout was against a 6’8″, 330 lb. Paul Varelans displayed his muay Thai abilities by overwhelming Varelans with fist combinations and repeated leg kicks.
Additionally, he utilized his famous foot stomps when Paul trapped him against the cage. Varelans could not take any more strikes to the legs and collapsed to the ground, where Ruas punched him until the referee stopped the fight, awarding Ruas the tournament victory.
Marco was invited to the Ultimate event due to his UFC 7 victory. He quickly knocked out Keith Hackney, but his next opponent, Oleg Taktarov, proved more difficult. Both contestants took a passive approach to the fight, with Ruas blocking Taktarov’s takedown attempts and striking him at every opportunity, causing him to bleed.
However, the judges awarded the victory to Taktarov, and Ruas was eliminated from the competition. This decision was controversial, and Ruas and his cornermen appealed to the referee, but to no effect.
He has also made a cameo appearance as a jealous husband in the movie Kickboxer 3, in which his character fought and lost Shasha Mitchell David Sloane at a party.
