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Ricardo Almeida (Pictures) is a bit of an anachronism in the rock star culture of today's MMA. In fact, he is part of the old guard that nostalgically reminds us of MMA's roots in "martial arts."
His relationship with Renzo Gracie (Pictures) -- whom he refers to as "maestro" (or master) -- in particular harks back to a distant, romanticized era of master and student.
Martin Rooney, who has been Almeida's strength and conditioning coach for nearly a decade, points to the melee that broke out after Almeida's victory over Nathan Marquardt (Pictures) in 2003 as a poignant example of the fierce loyalty that exists between fighter and coach.
"When Ricardo won the King of Pancrase, there was a lot of talk that week," recalled Rooney. "So when Ricardo had [Marquardt] in checkmate, he just held that [guillotine] choke a little bit longer. When he released, Marquardt punched him in the face. Ricardo later said that it was like in the movies when you have a devil and an angel on your shoulders. Renzo was the devil jumping in and kicking Marquardt, and I was the angel coming in and telling Ricardo not to do anything else."
In return, Almeida has guarded the Gracie name and tradition with a sense of duty. The name may have lost some luster in the modern MMA landscape, but there is no denying its historical relevance or pervasive influence in the sport.
"It's very important," stressed Almeida about upholding the Gracie legacy. "Every time I step up to compete, I don't want to lose because I'm representing the whole family of Gracie jiu-jitsu or Brazilian jiu-jitsu. When I first started training jiu-jitsu in Brazil, I was like 15 years old -- this was pre-UFC -- and if you wanted to fight or do a vale tudo fight, you'd get picked to fight. You just don't want to fight, you get picked. Guys would fight challenges against luta livre or another kind of martial arts just to prove that jiu-jitsu was the superior martial art.
His relationship with Renzo Gracie (Pictures) -- whom he refers to as "maestro" (or master) -- in particular harks back to a distant, romanticized era of master and student.
Martin Rooney, who has been Almeida's strength and conditioning coach for nearly a decade, points to the melee that broke out after Almeida's victory over Nathan Marquardt (Pictures) in 2003 as a poignant example of the fierce loyalty that exists between fighter and coach.
"When Ricardo won the King of Pancrase, there was a lot of talk that week," recalled Rooney. "So when Ricardo had [Marquardt] in checkmate, he just held that [guillotine] choke a little bit longer. When he released, Marquardt punched him in the face. Ricardo later said that it was like in the movies when you have a devil and an angel on your shoulders. Renzo was the devil jumping in and kicking Marquardt, and I was the angel coming in and telling Ricardo not to do anything else."
In return, Almeida has guarded the Gracie name and tradition with a sense of duty. The name may have lost some luster in the modern MMA landscape, but there is no denying its historical relevance or pervasive influence in the sport.
"It's very important," stressed Almeida about upholding the Gracie legacy. "Every time I step up to compete, I don't want to lose because I'm representing the whole family of Gracie jiu-jitsu or Brazilian jiu-jitsu. When I first started training jiu-jitsu in Brazil, I was like 15 years old -- this was pre-UFC -- and if you wanted to fight or do a vale tudo fight, you'd get picked to fight. You just don't want to fight, you get picked. Guys would fight challenges against luta livre or another kind of martial arts just to prove that jiu-jitsu was the superior martial art.
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