Ricardo Arona: MMA's Missing Legend

Ricardo Arona was a legend in the PRIDE industry and was respected all around the world as one of the best at 205 pounds. Strangely enough however, he has not stepped foot in a ring or cage since PRIDE 34: Kamikaze, PRIDE's last PPV. Why?

Ricardo was recently interviewed by Sherdog.com, where he cited needing to find himself and wanting to spend time with his family. These are reasonable enough, but why would somebody in the prime of their career give up a chance to go for the belt in either DREAM or the UFC?

Instead of reiterating the Sherdog interview, where they went into his personal life, I would rather highlight his career and then maybe point out some flaws in his options.

First, we'll meet Ricardo.

Ricardo Arona is a PRIDE vet with a 13-5 record in MMA competition. Don't let that fool you though; he is a force! He has beaten greats like Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson, Jeremy Horn (2), Gustavo Machado, Kazushi Sakuraba, and Ninja Rua.

His losses aren't against stiffs either. He went the distance with Fedor, going a weight class up, and again in a rematch with Wandy. Also, Shogun and Rampage have claimed highlight-reel knockouts over him. Four of his five losses came at the hands of fighters who have been No. 1 in the world at their weight class.

The African Assassin being an exception, but he is in the top 10.

Ricardo was thrown to the wolves early and this may be a reason for his lack of interest. Why should he go fight rampage or Shogun again when he could take comparable money from DREAM and win consistently?

The only problem with this is that Ricardo is a proud man. His legacy would be tarnished, as many would say that he was taking cupcake fights for big money. He would be mocked. Nobody wants that.

Ricardo also may be wearing down. With the wear and tear on an MMA body, it can become difficult to carry on. Also, Ricardo has been doing BJJ for quite some time. Joints begin to ache after putting so many people in holds.

Maybe Ricardo is stunned or shaken by his quick KO by the African assassin. Ricardo had never been KO'd so quickly and by such a relatively unheralded fighter at the time. This may have shaken his confidence, and confidence is key in MMA,

No matter what the cause was, Ricardo plans to return to competition by year's end, but is not sure when or where. My best wishes go to Ricardo, and I hope for a triumphant return.