End of An Era

I first had the honor of meeting Ricardo Almeida right after he took the King of Pancrase Middleweight belt from a once invincible King named Nathan Marquardt. If you were to ask a human being what makes them want to fight and what makes them suddenly not want to fight anymore, either age, or experience, or burn out maybe common factors, but for Ricardo Almeida it is simple, like his philosophy. After all, Ricardo Almeida is a Jiu-jitsu teacher, and Jiu jitsu is a self defense.
It is very interesting to analyze and understand why "Cachorrao" wound up in the MMA ring in the first place, and why he is at peace with himself retiring from a short but successful career in the MMA fight ring.  
     
Q: Why have you decided to retire from MMA? Was this a sudden decision, or was it something you had been thinking about?

Ricardo Almeida: I feel fulfilled with my accomplishments during my short career. To be honest I never imagined I would have the luck to come this far, to fight in Japan once was like a dream come true but to keep coming back and have the chance to retire without losing a match in Japan and being crowned King of Pancrase it is even hard to explain how I feel about it. As a student of Jiu Jitsu to go back to Japan time after time and be exposed to such wonderful culture I feel very lucky. But retiring is something I have been thinking about for a while and after Bushido I felt it was time to move away from competition.
 
Q:I understand you have decided to retire from MMA, but does this mean you will still continue competing in submission tournaments, and other MA competitions?

Ricardo Almeida: In my heart I feel no desire to compete anytime soon, it is like a turned page in a book. It is a great part of my personal history now I feel the need to move on.

Q: Your official MMA debut was back in PRIDE 12 against Akira Shoji, I had heard you were in Japan as a corner man for Ryan (Gracie), but since (Allan) Goes got injured, Renzo Gracie told you, at the last minute, to step into the ring to face Shoji. Is this true?

Ricardo Almeida: Yes, I never really felt like fighting Vale Tudo until then. When I heard that Allan Goes was hurt we were going to call Renzo to contact Nino (Schembri) but I was already there and I was like "hey I'll fight" and the rest is history.

Q: If this is true, maybe you were not mentally prepared for a professional MMA career to begin with but you continued because you are good at it. Is this a fair assumption?

Ricardo Almeida: Definitely not. I wasn't really sure if I even wanted to fight again. I wanted to stay in Japan but Renzo asked me to go to the UFC. I wasn't mentally ready, every time I fought it was like going to war, and I never really enjoyed it. When I lost my first match at the UFC I wanted to prove to myself I could do it. It took me a long time to understand about the mindset of fighting. If you have any hate or emotions toward your opponent you win some you lose some, I have learned to actually embrace my opponent as a long lost friend and understand that our future was bound by that fight in the ring and we needed each other to fulfill our individual destiny. I had almost like an awakening to this view before my first fight at Pancrase and I haven't lost a match since so I attribute it to my mindset more than anything else.

Q: Does this way of beginning your MMA career have something to do with this retirement?

Ricardo Almeida: I believe so. I never wanted to make MMA a career. Things are so uncertain and you never know when or if you are fighting again. My true passion in life is training and teaching. Fighting was like a hard preparation to become a true sensei. I went thru hell and heaven as a fighter and I really got to know myself deep inside. This gives me great confidence I can do a good job as a teacher.
 
Q: I guess it is not important for you to gain wealth and fame from MMA?

Ricardo Almeida: I never wanted to be in a position where I had to fight to make money and out of so many things I enjoyed about fighting, being portrayed as a famous fighter was not one of them. Actually I always introduce myself as a Jiu-jitsu teacher, never as a fighter.

Q: I assume you are continuing to instruct Jiu-jitsu. How are you thinking about improving yourself, especially mentally, for Jiu-jitsu since you are not competing anymore?

Ricardo Almeida: Surfing..hahahaha. I will keep training hard and pushing myself to my limits. I wish to spend more time reading and learning, living everyday the principle of KAIZEN ("upgrading" in English), always challenging myself to be better each day.

Q: Will you also continue training and cornering your Jiu-jitsu students for MMA?

Ricardo Almeida: I don't really corner my students, I have but it's very sporadic. I actually only have two students who fight MMA. My gym is not a fighting gym it is a Jiu-jitsu gym. I try to keep the competitive aspect of martial arts away from the mats. I think many people see Jiu-jitsu as a fighting style, I see it as a physical, mental, spiritual and intellectual education method. It is a way of life, which I wish to share with as many people I possibly can. Maybe that is another reason I stopped.

Q: From what we read in ADCC News, you mentioned that not being able to associate with your students often enough was one of the reasons for the retirement, but was your gym in those initial plans? How would you like to affect the people around you in Jiu-jitsu?

Ricardo Almeida: I believe in this time we live in, of terrorism and crazy big cities. Self Defense is no longer a luxury. I like to use self-defense in a broader term than only defending yourself from punches, kicks or a knife attack. Bad eating habits, stress, lack of discipline and self-control, and plainly living an unfulfilling life attack more on a daily basis than anything else. So when you take that into consideration, I want my school to be a heaven for people to self-defense and pursue personal excellence living a happier fuller life. Sounds poetic right? That’s what I want to get done though.

Q: I believe one of your goals was to fight Yuki Kondo and Sanae Kikuta. Do you have any regrets regarding this?

Ricardo Almeida: I have no regrets but I never refused to fight anyone whom Pancrase asked me to fight and in a way at PRIDE Bushido I got to defend the middleweight belt against (Ryo) Chonan who is one of the best in Japan at that weight. I think I didn’t even get close to reaching my full potential as a fighter. I was just beginning to mature and get better. I would have loved to fight the likes of Kondo, Kikuta, Quinton Jackson and Dan Henderson. But my time as a fighter is complete I have no regrets.

Q: Tell us about how old you were when you discovered Jiu-jitsu and how you got into it.

Ricardo Almeida: I was 15 years old. I had a friend from high school who trained and took me to train and I fell in love with it. This friend is Marcelo Rezende who now trains Mark Hunt. He is a dear friend and I am very thankful he introduced me to Jiu-jitsu.
 
Q: Prior to this decision of retiring from MMA, did you talk to your family? Did you discuss it with Renzo?

Ricardo Almeida: Yes I spoke with my family and Renzo and we discussed this many times before. Actually even my management in Japan knew it was coming sooner or later. Maybe that is why I was so dedicated, I felt it was a race against time that everything I had to do had to be fast. I did not want to be fighting for a long time.

Q: Is there any remote possibility in the future, that you might fight in MMA again, or is this absolutely out of the question?

Ricardo Almeida: I cannot say about the future, but in the present I do not see myself in the rings again. There are other challenges I wish to take on and to keep fighting would delay me.

Q: In your return to PRIDE Bushido you defeated a very tough up and comer Ryo Chonan. You had told us previously that you couldn't wait to fight in PRIDE again, since you did reach that goal and won representing Team Gracie, were these three achievements satisfying enough for you to retire with?

Ricardo Almeida: I started at PRIDE I think it was the reason why I fought in the first place, to have the chance to fight in the biggest MMA event in the world against the best fighters. But after PRIDE Bushido, having the chance to compete alongside Ryan and Ralph Gracie, with Renzo in my corner, defending Gracie Jiu-jitsu. I knew there was not a lot more I could ask from fighting. The next win, the next pay day were not enough motivation for me any longer, especially with my mind on other challenges.

Q: If you have no plans to continue competing, how are you thinking about improving or enhancing yourself, especially mentally; doing Jiu-jitsu from now?

Ricardo Almeida: I have no plans of competing. I believe as a teacher if you want to change other people's lives and influence them in a positive way, you have to first go through those changes yourself. When I was an active fighter, teaching took my physical and mental development to another level. One of the best gifts in life is you cannot help another without helping yourself in the process.
 
Q: You are not even 30 years old. Don't you feel like you still haven't peaked?

Ricardo Almeida: I feel as far as being a competitor I didn't come close to peaking, there was still a lot of room for improvement as well as maturity, as a fighter. I was never happy with just winning, I wanted to always have a chance to showcase my skills and entertain the fans. However I was happy with what I was able to accomplish in MMA and it gives me great happiness to be able to walk out as one of the top middleweights in the world. I feel the need to reach my "peak" in different aspects of life now.

Q: Many fans and experts thought you might be the one who was going to rule the world's MMA middleweight division in the future. What do you think about these predictions and anticipations?

Ricardo Almeida: The fans were always a great source of inspiration. I think more important than just being a good fighter is to make sure you send a positive message across to the fans and specialized media. Every fighter is his own persona in the ring, I tried to always be in the ring what I am on a daily basis and never get lost among predictions and anticipations. I thank the fans and media tremendously for the great support I had all these years.

Q: Do you ever think about doing something other than Jiu jitsu or another sport for your career?
Ricardo Almeida: I will go back to surfing more than I had the chance to do during my fighting years. One of the very few challenges I've ever made was to Misaki and Kondo to a surfing competition, if Mr. Osaki in the future has a belt for Surfing King of Pancrase, than I'd start competing again. Ha ha.
 
Q: How do you picture yourself in ten years?

Ricardo Almeida: Much better man than I am now. As a fighter I always wanted to surpass myself, it'll be no different now. I am very happy with everything I have in my life other than fighting, I will now carry great memories and take the hard learned lessons and keep challenging myself to be better. No longer in the rings but as a father, husband, teacher.

Q: Are you going to teach Jiu-jitsu to your kids?

Ricardo Almeida: Of course! Jiu-jitsu is my life, I cannot separate Jiu-jitsu from who I am. Naturally I will teach my kids everything I know. I look forward to that more than anything!

Q: Do you ever think about going back to Brazil, or perhaps opening your own gym in Brazil?

Ricardo Almeida: Not at all, I miss Brazil but I can always visit anytime I want. I enjoy living in the USA, I think after I came back to the country I was born in USA I identified myself with the culture and society. Plus in this era of globalization, you have access to anything you want from any country in the world. Can you believe I find Pocky Chocolate sticks in a supermarket two blocks away from my house?

Q: Did you discuss this retirement issue with people from Pancrase before you made your decision?

Ricardo Almeida: Actually the only person I discussed my retirement with was my wife. To everyone else I only communicated my decision. This is such a big decision that I did not want to have any influence by other people's ideas, because I know they'd only be seeing one side of the coin, not my life as a whole. I have the utmost gratitude to Pancrase and the President Mr. Ozaki for giving me the chance to fight in their organization. I had the best time in my career at Pancrase, the treatment I got was flawless. From the President to staff as well as the fighters, Pancrase is an example of what a fighting/entertainment company should be like in my eyes.

Q: Since you are still the King of Pancrase middleweight champion, were you concerned about what will be happening to your crown after retirement?

This fight, against a dangerous Ryo Chonan at PRIDE Bushido vol. 3 became Almeida's last hurrah in MMA.

Ricardo Almeida: I renounced the belt when I sent Pancrase a formal letter, so there are no surprises. I'm no longer the Middleweight King of Pancrase, but I'm sure whoever attains that title will be a great champion. Personally I'd love to see a tournament being held for the belt, with representatives from PANCRASEism, Grabaka, , Renzo Gracie and other great teams that have fighters at that weight at Pancrase. But that's just me, you know... (laugh)

Q: How did your business manager / representative in Japan react to your decision?

Ricardo Almeida: Actually we had talked about it a long time ago, when I first decided that I was leaning towards other goals, even before my fight with Nathan Marquardt. That's how long I've thought about it. Mr. Kawasaki is a dear friend and I've known him before I became a fighter. He was supportive of my decision, he knew it was just a matter of time until I finally stopped.

Q: Did anyone try to talk you out of making this decision?

Ricardo Almeida: People questioned (and questioned a lot!), but never tried to talk me out of it. I was very surprised by how much support I got from fellow fighters in my decision. Renzo and Ryan were very supportive; my first teacher Carlos Gracie Jr. was very supportive. Some of them were sad to lose a soldier from the Gracie army, some of them were happy to see my excitement towards a new project. I couldn't ask for more from my teammates nor from fellow MMA Fighters. I was actually very surprised at how many people actually cared on a personal level!

Q: When did you actually begin thinking about leaving MMA?

Ricardo Almeida: After my fight with Shoji I spoke to my father on the phone and he told me. "Never forget that you'll be able to accomplish much more with your mind than with your body. Your body needs to be strong, so it can nest a strong mind." I never forgot that, and always tried to be mindful of the right time to stop. I've said that before and in my mind MMA was a triage in my transition towards becoming a true Sensei. I understand it'll take a lifetime to gain the wisdom of the grand masters, but every journey begins with one step.

Q: What is your goal in terms of outside fight sports?

Ricardo Almeida: My goal is to live a happy positive life in which I can influence as many people as possible to also live happier, fuller lives. Jiu Jitsu will be the vehicle, which will allow me to get to that goal.

Q: Do you think growing up in "Academia" has something to do with your decision to retire from a fight sport? In other words, perhaps you have many other interests you are looking forward to pursuing, now that you have achieved this level of success in MMA?

Ricardo Almeida: I believe so. The more you are able to keep an open mind and be exposed to different options, the more you're going to question yourself, and your daily habits. For so many years all I had in my mind was developing my full potential as a fighter, but I always knew it'd be a race against time so I could reach full potential before it was time to stop. You see so many fighters never reach their full potential for one reason or another. My reason was personal choice, it was a difficult decision to make, it took me a lot of courage, but it also gives me much happiness to know even below my maximum capacity I was able to do a lot.

Q: Perhaps there are other more "intellectual" challenges ahead for you, and you want to achieve these while still relatively young?

Ricardo Almeida: Honestly every day when I go to bed I can't wait to wake up. Our time here is so short I wish to take up as many challenges as possible. Sometimes that means sacrificing, you can say I've stopped fighting prematurely, but look at the time I have ahead of me. If I keep the same determination I had as a fighter, I'll be able to do a lot more.

Q: What advice do you have for any young athlete who is interested in pursuing MMA as a career?

Ricardo Almeida: Use it as a trampoline to catapult yourself to a higher level of understanding in life. Do not make it an end, but a means to an end. People need strength, we gain a lot of that as fighters, and I don't mean strength of muscle, but mind and character. If you can learn to share and influence people in a positive manner, it'll all be worthwhile regardless of wins or losses.

Q:Would you recommend such a career path, or would you discourage them, particularly your own Jiu jitsu students?

Ricardo Almeida: Like you said, they are Jiu Jitsu students, not MMA fighters. I own a Jiu-jitsu school, not an MMA Gym. I do not wish to teach people how to fight, but how to defend themselves and have the courage and strength NOT TO fight. In my many years of competition, I've come to a conclusion which is very hard to accept,... not everyone can compete, and that's a scary thought when you are there to push them forward if that's what they choose. I don't want to be in a position to HAVE TO teach someone if I don't believe he should be doing that. On the other hand, I don't want to have to accept some students and reject some students when it comes to fighting. I'd rather teach what I believe is for everyone, and that is Jiu Jitsu as self defense.

Q: Ricardo, you are a very friendly person who seems to have a lot of human compassion, does this perhaps have a "negative impact" on being a fighter, or is it actually an asset?
Ricardo Almeida: That actually helped me once I learned to use that to my advantage. I have learned to blend with my opponents rather than contest against them. How could I ever have become King of Pancrase if Nathan Marquardt didn't have the Title and didn't give me the chance to fight for it? You see, in the end we can say he was cooperating with me, and I with him by being a worthy contestant of such regarded title. Many fighters go to war when they fight. To me it was a job I had to get done, and I was going to do it regardless of the circumstances. People are different, what works for one may not work for another, but I believe goodness and compassion will always succeed.