After a five-year stint away from the organization, Brazilian Jiu-Jistu black belt Ricardo Almeida (8-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) will return to the UFC, thanks to a new six-fight deal.
The report comes from
GracieMag.com, which quoted the fighter as saying he chose the UFC’s offer over those of a handful of other organizations.
MMAjunkie.com was unable to confirm news of the signing.
Almeida, a former PRIDE fighter and Middleweight King of Pancrase, will bring some new talent to the UFC’s thin middleweight division. The Brazilian hasn’t competed professionally in more than three years, though he’s riding a six-fight win streak. That streak includes victories over current UFC fighters Nate Marquardt and Ryo Chonan.
Almeida previously competed in the UFC from 2001-2002. He made his octagon debut at UFC 31 and suffered a loss via disqualification (for repeated fouls) to Matt Lindlnd. He then rebounded for a first-round submission of Eugene Jackson at UFC 33 (in picking up Submission of the Night honors), but then suffered a second-round TKO to Andrei Semenov at UFC 35.
Report: Ricardo Almeida Gets Six-Fight UFC Deal 
10-19-2007, 08:26 AM
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