Former PRIDE FC veteran Ricardo Arona (14-5 MMA) has not competed in mixed martial arts since a 2009 win over Marvin Eastman in Brazil.

“The Brazilian Tiger” was recently offered a contract to fight under the Bellator banner, but he has declined. The 35-year-old told Rádio Globo that he couldn’t accept the deal because of physical issues and that he is still thinking about which genre of combat sport he will return to:

“I think about “Rampage” and other guys from my time that I would fight again for sure but I can’t right now. I’ve been giving dates for a long time but now I know that it can’t be like that. I want to fight, Bellator’s offer is good but I can’t give a right date, hour, nothing. At first, I need to be 100 percent recovered and this is going to be at the right time. When I’m ready, I’ll see how is better to be back, if fighting Jiu-Jitsu, Submission or MMA.”

Ricardo Arona holds wins over a handful of notable fighters including Alistair Overeem, Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson and Murilo Rua.

Source: Bloodyelbow

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