Quarterly Rankings
be honest I take responsibility for it and we both have apologized. I fought one more fight and retired and now I'm back in the UFC, he came into the UFC. I don't think he thinks about it. I definitely don't think about it. Now we're in different weight divisions, we have many mutual friends. I have nothing but respect and admiration for him. I love watching him fight and win and I think he's an excellent fighter. I wish him all the best.FiveKnuckles: How much has the UFC changed since UFC 31, which was the first UFC event that you fought in?
Ricardo Almeida: The very first UFC in Vegas, it wasn't 31, it was like 35 or 37 or something and it was, you know, the greatest thing for the sport. We were in Vegas now and it was a great job by Zuffa and Dana and we had our weigh-in in a ballroom with like, a couple hundred people, if that. I came back in 2008 and the weigh-ins are at the arena with half of the arena packed, for a weigh-in! That's how far the sport has come. People everywhere, everyone knows what UFC is. Shirts are in like Modell's and Sports Authority now. Tapout and Affliction everywhere and there's no doubt about it, there's a huge difference. There was a time when we had to go to a bar in New York where they were showing the fights because the UFC wasn't even on pay per view and now here we are with this big expansion world-wide. I think it's going to get huge in Asia, they haven't even really touched that market yet and they like fighting over there.
FiveKnuckles: How do you see the St. Pierre vs. Hardy fight playing out?
Ricardo Almeida: St. Pierre's my teammate, we've trained together and we're probably going to be doing some training together for this fight so I'm definitely biased. I don't think too many people would disagree that this fight will pretty much look like it looked when he fought Fitch and Thiago Alves. I think Hardy is a very tough guy and he is a good fighter. I just don't think he's on the level of Georges St. Pierre. I just haven't seen anything from Hardy that shows me that it could be any different than Alves or Fitch especially because of the Matt Serra loss because Georges is going to come in, I wouldn't say "cautious" but he's going to be very aware of the power of Dan Hardy and the left hook and he's going to come in with a great game plan to get around that and keep getting around that through five rounds if that's what it takes.
FiveKnuckles: Is there anything you'd like to add or anyone that you'd like to mention?
Ricardo Almeida: Just my training partners, my coaches, my boxing coach, Mark Henry- Renzo Gracie, my mentor, jiu jitsu teacher. My training partners; Frankie Edgar, Dante Rivera, Chris Liguori, all the guys that come down from New York, all my students down here. I do this with them and for them.
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