Former PRIDE star and PRIDE Middleweight Tournament runner-up in 2005 Ricardo Arona has signalled his intentions in the build up to his first MMA fight since a loss to Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou 2 years ago. Arona hasn't fought since that fight, which took place at PRIDE 34, and is set for a comeback on the 12th of September against UFC veteran Marvin Eastman. In an interview with Sherdog.com Arona stated the following:
"Of course, I would love to fight in the UFC, because it's for sure the best event, but I'm also studying some other proposals. I'm waiting calmly for my time. I'm ready to do my best in the ring or in the cage... [Lyoto Machida is] defending Brazil well in the MMA world, and I respect him a lot, but if I get into the UFC and have to fight Lyoto, I'd go to win. He's a great champion, but if I'm well-trained, I know my potential; I can beat anyone."
These are positive comments from Arona, as it seems as if he's looking to break into the US MMA scene. There are sure to be organisations willing to take him on, and there are a whole heap of fights for him, most notably in the UFC and Strikeforce. Arona pulled off some more than impressive victories whilst in PRIDE, beating Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Alistair Overeem and others, so presuming Arona gets past Eastman, 2010 could be a very good year for Ricardo Arona, and having watched a great deal of him from his time in PRIDE, I would more than welcome a UFC deal.
Arona has a very good resumé, having only lost on 5 occassions. Before his 2007 loss to Sokoudjou his list of losses was a who's who of PRIDE stars, with career losses to Fedor Emelianenko, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, Mauricio Rua and Wanderlei Silva; and come Saturday he'll be hoping that Eastman is not the 6th man to defeat him. I look forward to seeing where Ricardo Arona goes in the 2nd half of his MMA career.
Dan Manley
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