Ricardo Almeida

Ricardo Almeida is a retired professional mixed martial artist born on November 29, 1976. He is a Brazilian-American who is noted for his grappling skills and accomplishments. He was once a champion in the middleweight division under Pancrase.

The retired fighter boasts of a fourth degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He got this belt while being a part of the Gracie Barra combat team and training under Renzo Gracie. Aside from working with Pancrase, Almeida is also a veteran in other promotions including Grapplers Quest, PRIDE Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. But it was in Pancrase where he got many of his very successful and notable fights.

Before Almeida retired in 2011, he had a 4-year hiatus from mixed martial arts. This was right after winning 6 fights in a row. This hiatus happened because he wanted to focus on running his Jiu-Jitsu school that he established in Hamilton, Mercer County. After he retired in 2011, he became a professional judge in mixed martial arts in the state of New Jersey and eventually during major events at the UFC.

Almeida, who is also known as, “Big Dog” stands 6 feet and comes with a 74-inch reach. In addition to competing in the middleweight division, he also had tried competing under the welterweight and light heavyweight divisions. He has been active in his mixed martial arts career from 2000-2004 and 2008 to 2011. During these 7 years, he earned a mixed martial arts record of 18 fights with 13 wins and 5 losses.

At present, the retired fighter lives in Bordentown in New Jersey. He owns and teaches at the Ricardo Almeida Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu School. This school is located in both Newtown, PA and Robbinsville, NJ.