Ricardo Arona Speaks On Taking Time Off, Signing With The UFC, More

Posted by Dustin James on 07.29.2008

Ricardo Arona finally comes out of hiding........

Ricardo Arona recently sat down with Sherdog.com and spoke on numerous topics such as his 16 month layoff from MMA, possibly signing with the UFC, and more:

On why he has taken over a year off from MMA:

"It's already been a year since I fought, but that was by choice. Actually, I had invitations to fight in Canada, Japan and the USA, but I chose not to fight. I've been competing in jiu-jitsu, submissions and MMA since I was 15 years old. I decided to stop and watch from the outside, in order to be able to see everything that happens inside fighting. I had to find myself. It's my aim to fight once or twice by the end of the year, but the most important thing is to come back well prepared, to come back different from what I was. I want to be a much more dynamic fighter in the next phase of my career. My desire to fight is still great. I'm watching everybody fight, observing what's changed and what hasn't. This time off has been as important to me as training; it's part of my training."

On whether he prefers to fight in Japan, or the United States:

"Actually, I'm connected personally to Japan. There is a lot of respect for the fights and fighters there. I have a great link to Japan, because I've spent years fighting there. I have fans, and I'm accustomed to that scene. In America, the crowd's nosier, more agitated and wants to be entertained. For them, sometimes it's not important that an American wins. They want to watch a great fight, and we have to adapt ourselves to that. I like the Japanese people a lot, and I would like to fight in Japan again, but if America is dominating the market, I want to be there. I've already fought against almost all of the top fighters. I want very much to be part of this new market. I'm waiting on a good contract to make my comeback. I'm doing my part to be well prepared, and I'll be back to dominate the scene. "

On why he said the UFC rules were "made for him":

"When I arrived at Carlson Gracie's gym at 16 years old, I already wanted to fight in MMA, and one of my specialties was taking my opponent down, striking him and hurting him from that position. This was cut from MMA when I went to fight in Japan. In the UFC, you can use the cage, which is perfect for me, because once you have your opponent in the corner, there's no escape; it's excellent to use to get the takedown. Once on the ground, it's perfect for striking; it's fatal. With those rules, I guess the referee will have to stop a lot of my fights quickly, because my great strong point is striking from above, from any position. The third factor I see is that anyone in the ring who gets tired in five minutes is in the wrong place. I'm accustomed to fighting one 10-minute round and two five-minute rounds. In the UFC, it's three five-minute rounds, which is like child's play for me. I'm flying in and out with that time. I wouldn't even stop to wipe my forehead. The UFC rules were made for me -- no doubt about it."

On which promotion he would like to fight for:

"I think the promotion would have to be the UFC, because it offers the best proposals and the best fighters, and it's the best event and the best show. The best opponent for me is whoever has the belt, but I don't think there's any way to come back and fight right away for the belt."

On if he would like to face Wanderlei Silva again (they are currently 1-1 against each other):

"My relationship with him has already been settled. If there's still a problem between us, it's in his head, because from my side, everything has been settled. It would be a great fight, but in time. I've stopped thinking about what would be the best fight, who would be the best fighter. I have to be prepared to face any of them. When I come back, I want to win, against him or anyone else. "

You can read the entire interview here.