Japanese shoot wrestler Alexander Otsuka. In a major upset, Otsuka fought with tenacity, taking Ruas down and performing ground-and-pound, defending a fully locked rear naked choke and forcing a TKO by medical stoppage in the second round. It was later revealed that Ruas fought under medication for Hepatitis and a knee injury. He returned briefly to UFC to fight former heavyweight champion Maurice Smith in UFC 21, but lost by TKO. Ruas suffered an injury in the first round and could not continue. Around that time, Ruas started to transition from a fighter into a full-time coach, teaching his own "Ruas Vale Tudo" style for a new generation of fighters. Some of his students include UFC light-heavyweight contender Pedro Rizzo and Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Renato Sobral. He also coached UFC Featherweight Champion José Aldo in Luta Livre, awarding him a black belt in the art, and Aldo was also coached striking and leg kicks by Pedro Rizzo, some of Ruas' own fighting style can be seen in Aldo's. At this point semi-retired, in 2001 Ruas defeated Jason Lambert at Ultimate Pankration in California in less than 1 minute with a heel hook. Marco Ruas was invited to participate in the newly formed MMA promotion International Fight League (IFL). This promotion would be divided into different teams (later becoming simply MMA camps) instead of one-on-one affairs, and at the end one of the seasons one of the teams/camps was crowned champion. Ruas coached the "Southern California Condors" team, later simply known as "Ruas Vale Tudo". He also came out from retirement and had one rematch against Maurice Smith (which coached the IFL's "Seattle Tiger Sharks") as the superfight for the IFL: Chigaco event in 2007, which he lost by TKO with a stoppage by his corner. Marco Ruas then fully retired from the sport with a record of 9 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws. Personal life Ruas is married and has three daughters. Marco's first recorded fight was in 1984. Marco's nickname is "The King of the Streets" (Ruas actually means "streets" in Portuguese). Marco lives in Laguna Niguel, California where he operates his own MMA gym "Ruas Vale Tudo". Feud with Rickson Gracie Ruas developed a feud with Rickson Gracie, both were one of the most skilled and high-profile grapplers of their time, and represent two rival styles that were feuding at the time: Luta Livre and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.