Despite Ricardo Almeida's nearly four-year absence from mixed martial arts, he was never quite able to sever ties to the sport.

That's probably a good thing, because it hasn't taken him long to get back into the mix of the UFC's middleweight division. Although he missed an important stretch in the sport's development -- between the reality show on Spike TV and several marquee pay-per-view events -- Almeida stayed involved by helping friend and mentor Renzo Gracie train for fights and by teaching students at his own Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy in Hamilton, N.J.

"The first year, I just didn't watch anything. It was very hard for me to watch," Almeida, 31, said. "I didn't want to be that guy sitting on the couch saying, 'Yeah, I could beat that guy.'"

By all accounts he probably could have.

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