Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida returned to the Octagon after a lengthy break to concentrate on other things. Upon his return Big Dog made short work of his opponent Rob Yundt at UFC 81, with a slick submission win in the first round. He was then thrust into a match with top contender Patrick Cote and was unlucky to go down via a controversial split decision.

The 3rd Degree BJJ Black Belt runs a successful academy in Hamilton New Jersey (ricardoalmeida.com) and holds a 9-3-0 record. With his striking always improving and his obviously dangerous ground skills, the UFC is handing out signs in the Middleweight division that say “Beware of the Dog”. Ricardo spent some time with us recently and told us 5 things we didn’t know about him!

1 - “My favorite past time is surfing here in New Jersey, especially in the winter, when the air temperature sometimes dips into the teens and the water into the low 30's!”

2 - Ricardo attended the Federal University of Rio De Janeiro and completed two years in an Industrial Engineering Major, prior to moving back to the USA! “My favorite class was Experimental Physics! Just kidding! That is why I left! (To return to the US)

3 - He was born in Harlem, New York City!

4 - When he was a kid he wanted to go to the Olympic Games!
“I was never good at any Olympic Sport!”

5 - “I'm the worst soccer player from Brazil!”