Vitor Ribeiro has become something of an afterthought in the 17 months since his devastating technical knockout loss to American Top Team brute Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante in the semi-finals of the K-1 Hero’s middleweight tournament.

Afterward, the 29-year-old four-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion underwent surgery to repair a career-threatening eye injury suffered at Cavalcante’s heavy hands. Despite rumors swirling about a potential retirement, Ribeiro plans to return to the mixed martial arts scene sometime in 2009.

“I don’t know the day yet, but I’m already training in order to be ready when they call me,” he said. “I hope to fight at least three times this year. I feel motivated now.”

Talk of his demise -- which proved premature -- rubbed Ribeiro the wrong way.

“There were some rumors -- people saying I wouldn’t fight anymore because of my eye,” he said. “People talk too much about things they don’t know, and it snowballs.”

Before being buried under Cavalcante’s lethal ground-and-pound in just 35 seconds back in September 2007, Ribeiro (19-2) had rattled off nine consecutive victories and was almost universally accepted as one of the sport’s top lightweights. Spawned by the famed Nova Uniao camp, “Shaolin” has delivered more than half (11) of his 19 career wins by submission. He remains one of only three men to submit reigning Dream lightweight king Joachim Hansen.

As he recovered from surgery, Ribeiro left Nova Uniao to open his own academy in New York City. With that, Modern Martial Arts was born.

“I left Brazil to work with jiu-jitsu,” Ribeiro said. “My gym is focused on jiu-jitsu. My coming here was not with the intention of having more fights. I intend to stay here and teach for a long time. I don’t think about going back to Brazil. I intend to build a bridge between Nova Uniao here and Nova Uniao in Brazil.”

Ribeiro credits his mentor, Andre Pederneiras, for the success he has enjoyed, inside and outside the ring.

“I was with Andre Pederneiras for 15 years,” he said. “I owe him a lot. We’ve always shared the wish to bring up new athletes for the future. I’m working with the thing I like most in my life -- teaching jiu-jitsu.”

So far, Ribeiro seems encouraged by how his gym has taken hold in the Big Apple.

“My gym is going well, thank God,” he said. “Business is good, and I hope it continues going that way.”

Once he signs to fight, Ribeiro will have to switch gears quickly.

“When I have my next fight,” he said, “I’ll bring some friends to help me out with the classes, so I can concentrate better on my training.”

Shinya Aoki -- a man who some feel has eclipsed UFC champion B.J. Penn as the world’s premier lightweight -- caught Ribeiro’s attention during his time away from competition. The 25-year-old International superstar submitted Eddie Alvarez with a first-round heel hook at the K-1 “Dynamite” show on New Year’s Eve and has lost only once -- to Hansen -- in the last three years.

“Aoki’s a guy who gets more confident in his ground game each day,” Ribeiro said. “The guy had several fights this year and knew how to impose his game on the ground very well. To be sincere, I did not think Alvarez would accept a fight on the ground so fast. When you meet a guy like Aoki, being on top or bottom really doesn’t matter because he’s happy to go to the ground.”

With victories against Mitsuhiro Ishida, Ivan Menjivar and Tatsuya Kawajiri already in his back pocket, Ribeiro’s resume remains strong. Only time stands between the one-time Shooto and Cage Rage champion and his long-awaited return to the ring.

“It’s just a matter of waiting for that call, signing the contract and fighting,” Ribeiro said. “It will be soon, for sure.”