Marco Ruas

Marco Antônio de Lima Ruas (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈmaʁku ˈʁuɐs]; born 23 January 1961) is a Brazilian former mixed martial arts fighter, submission wrestler, kickboxer and instructor. Ruas was the UFC 7 Tournament Champion, and also competed for the World Vale Tudo Championship (WVC), PRIDE Fighting Championships and the International Fight League, where he head-coached the Southern California Condors. Ruas competed in Vale Tudo, with his first bout in 1984 and won the UFC 7 tournament in 1995, becoming the second Brazilian UFC champion. His fighting style combined Luta Livre submission grappling with Muay Thai, capoeira, boxing and taekwondo. Ruas transformed his style in his own hybrid martial art which he called "Ruas Vale Tudo". In some later events, his fighting style was simply billed as "Vale Tudo". He is recognized as a pioneer of mixed martial arts and one of the first well-rounded fighters in the sport, integrating striking and grappling techniques and advocating cross-training between different martial arts.