Via Sherdog

On fighting inside a cage:

"I always thought the cage was even better for my game," Arona said. "I like to use elbows on the ground, which I couldn’t do in Pride. Also, I can’t wait to fight for my fans."

On fighting Marvin Eastman at Bitetti Combat Nordeste 4 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

"He is very experienced and deserves all respect," Arona said, "but I’m well-trained and coming to win and make a great exhibition for my fans."

On breaking into the American market, the UFC in particular:

"I’ll wait for a proposal," Arona said. "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."

On UFC Light Heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida:

"He’s 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," Arona said. "He’s a great champion, but if I’m well-trained, I know my potential; I can beat anyone."

I know Arona and an eventual run in the UFC has been discussed thoroughly, whether he'd be a worthy addition to the shark pool that is the Light Heavyweight division. Besides Soko, his loss column includes names that no one has to be ashamed losing to and he has knocked off some quality opponents during his fighting career. Would Arona be an asset to the UFC? I do believe if someone with his resumé and qualifications came along at say Heavyweight or Middleweight he would be a shoe-in and quality addition to the UFC roster. The problem is Arona competes in the most stacked division and his name recognition isn't very high on the American market (or any market for that matter I'd wager to say.