Chute Boxe Academy
Encyclopedia
The Chute Boxe Academy (ˈʃutʃi ˈbɔksi, Kick-Boxing) opened as a Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...

 academy in 1978 in Curitiba
Curitiba
Curitiba is the capital of the Brazilian state of Paraná. It is the largest city with the biggest economy of both Paraná and southern Brazil. The population of Curitiba numbers approximately 1.75 million people and the latest GDP figures for the city surpass US$61 billion according to...

, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

. Head trainer Rudimar Fedrigo later expanded the program in 1991 to include Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...

 and other aspects of modern mixed martial arts. By 1995, the Chute Boxe team was considered a prime training ground for Vale Tudo
Vale tudo
Vale tudo are full-contact unarmed combat events, with a limited number of rules, that became popular in Brazil during the 20th century. Vale tudo has been considered a combat sport by some observers...

 fighters. In 2004, an American branch, Chute Boxe USA, was established in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

.

Chute Boxe fighters are characterized by being extremely aggressive and physical, as well as well-rounded fighters, able to use submissions, punches, kicks, and various grappling styles as needed.

Beginnings

The Chute Boxe team first made a name for themselves in the MMA world during the late 1990s in the Brazilian vale tudo promotion known as the IVC
International Vale Tudo Championship
The International Vale Tudo Championship was a series of no holds barred-style MMA fighting promotion based in Brazil starting in 1997. It was inspired by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and gained an international reputation for its hardcore nature. Head butts and groin strikes were not...

. With an aggressive and physical style focused around their muay thai skills, Chute Boxe fighters captured three of the four title belts in the promotion (Wanderlei Silva winning the light heavyweight belt, Jose Landi-Jons
Jose Landi-Jons
José "Pelé" Landi-Jons is a Cuban-Brazilian mixed martial artist and vale tudo fighter known for his eccentric attitude and exciting style of fighting. Pelé's style is primarily Muay Thai, but he also practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in which he holds a black belt. Pelé was born in Cuba and at the...

 winning the middleweight belt, and Rafael Cordeiro winning the lightweight belt). The promotion ended up serving as a spring board for the Chute Boxe team (as well as many other Brazilian MMA stars) into the lucrative Japanese MMA market. For Chute Boxe specifically, it would help to launch their careers in Japan's PRIDE FC.

PRIDE FC dynasty

The major cog of the Chute Boxe machine in PRIDE was Wanderlei Silva
Wanderlei Silva
Wanderlei César da Silva , nicknamed "The Axe Murderer", is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who has competed in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships and the American based Ultimate Fighting Championship . Silva is known for his aggressive fighting style with the majority of his fights ending in...

. Known for an exciting, brawling style complete with lethal knees and leaping stomps, he would exemplify Chute Boxe style martial arts in PRIDE’s middleweight division and eventually win the 2003 PRIDE FC Middleweight Grand Prix
PRIDE Final Conflict 2003
Pride Final Conflict 2003 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on November 9, 2003 and had over 67,450 people in the audience. This event was host to the semi-finals and finals of the 2003 Pride Middleweight Grand...

 and the PRIDE FC middleweight title which he would hold for 6 years.

Coming off of a disappointing five-round decision loss to Tito Ortiz
Tito Ortiz
Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz is a Mexican-American mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, having held the title from April 14, 2000 to September 26, 2003. Along with fighters like Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, he was one of the sport's early stars...

 at UFC 25: Ultimate Japan
UFC 25
UFC 25: Ultimate Japan 3 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 14, 2000 at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.-History:The event was the third UFC event to be held in Japan...

, Silva would return to PRIDE to earn the biggest victory of his career to that point over the Lion’s Den’s
Lion's Den (mixed martial arts)
The Lion's Den is a mixed martial arts team and training facility that was based out of Susanville, California and San Diego, California but has recently moved its headquarters to Reno, Nevada. The team was founded in the early 1990s by UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock, and was the most dominant...

 Guy Mezger
Guy Mezger
Guy Mezger is a retired American martial artist who competed in professional combat sports ranging from full contact karate, kickboxing, and boxing, but is most recognized as a mixed martial arts fighter . He is associated with Lion's Den Dallas...

. It would be 20 fights and over four years before he would lose again in a controversial decision to superheavyweight Mark Hunt
Mark Hunt
Mark Hunt ; is a New Zealand kickboxer and mixed martial artist of Samoan descent, currently living in Sydney, Australia. Hunt competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is known for his raw strength, iron chin and knockout power. He won the K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Final...

. During this span he knocked out notable fighters Kazushi Sakuraba
Kazushi Sakuraba
is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist and former professional wrestler. He has competed in pro-wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling, UWFi and Kingdom Pro Wrestling. He has fought in MMA competition in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, PRIDE Fighting Championships, K-1 Hero's and Dream...

 (three times), Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
Quinton Jackson
Quinton Ramone Jackson ;, also known as Rampage Jackson, is an American mixed martial artist and actor. He is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Jackson rose to prominence in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships where he was noted for his powerful body slams including a knockout victory over...

 (twice) and Yuki Kondo
Yuki Kondo
is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He has a background in Shorinji Kempo and he is a 2nd dan. He was born in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Kondo is a Pancrase and Pride Fighting Championships veteran, as well as three-time veteran in the UFC. Kondo has fought over 60 times for the Pancrase...

.

His aura of invincibility wouldn’t truly be broken until a decision loss to Ricardo Arona
Ricardo Arona
Ricardo Arona is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and PRIDE FC Middleweight Grand Prix finalist. He has competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships and RINGS in his mixed martial arts career, and is a member of Brazilian Top Team.-Abu Dhabi and RINGS:...

 in the 2005 PRIDE FC middle weight Grand Prix
PRIDE Final Conflict 2005
Pride Final Conflict 2005 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. This event featured the much anticipated heavyweight title fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko Cro Cop and also the final round of the 2005 Middleweight Tournament...

. His loss would be avenged later that night by fellow teammate and rising star, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Enter the Rua brothers

As the older of the Rua brothers, Murilo “Ninja” Rua had an impressive run during his years with PRIDE FC. Wins over Mario Sperry
Mario Sperry
Mario Sperry is a Brazilian heavyweight martial artist. His specialty is Brazilian jiu-jitsu, grappling and ground fighting.-Career:Sperry first broke onto the sport Jiu-Jitsu scene in the early eighties...

, Akira Shoji and Alexander Otsuka
Alexander Otsuka
, better known by his ring name Alexander Otsuka, is a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter and professional wrestler. He competes in the Light Heavyweight division. He won his last fight at VFX - Vale Tudo Fighters Mexico against Masada Masada on May 27, 2006...

 established him as a respectable contender in the organization. His younger brother Mauricio "Shogun" Rua would also enter the PRIDE fighting championships and would prove the most successful fighter produced by Chute Boxe under Wanderlei Silva's and Ninja's guidance.

Younger than Murilo by about a year and a half, “Shogun” has defeated a who’s who list of fighters including Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos
Evangelista Santos
Evangelista Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who is a member of the famous Chute Boxe Academy. He has fought in Strikeforce, Pride Fighting Championship, Cage Rage, International Vale Tudo Championships and Pancrase. He is currently fighting for World Victory Road and Strikeforce...

, Akira Shoji, Akihiro Gono
Akihiro Gono
is a Japanese mixed martial artist who currently fights as a welterweight. He is best known for his clever and deceptive fighting style, and for his flashy ring entrances. His fighting style is characterized by skillfully avoiding strikes, using fast counter punches and generally getting the...

, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Alistair Overeem
Alistair Overeem
Alistair Cees Overeem is a British born Dutch mixed martial artist and kickboxer, signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Dream Interim Heavyweight Champion, K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, and made history by being the only fighter in combat...

 (twice), Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Antônio Rogério Nogueira is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist currently signed with the UFC. He is the twin brother of Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira. A proficient amateur boxer, he was the 2006 and 2007 Brazilian Super Heavyweight Champion. He also won a bronze medal in the 2007 Pan...

, Ricardo Arona
Ricardo Arona
Ricardo Arona is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and PRIDE FC Middleweight Grand Prix finalist. He has competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships and RINGS in his mixed martial arts career, and is a member of Brazilian Top Team.-Abu Dhabi and RINGS:...

, Kevin Randleman
Kevin Randleman
Kevin Christopher Randleman is a retired American mixed martial arts fighter and a former UFC heavyweight champion. Randleman's background is in Collegiate wrestling. Wrestling at 177 pounds, Randleman was a two time Division I NCAA Champion for The Ohio State University...

, Mark Coleman
Mark Coleman
Mark Coleman is an American mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, former NCAA collegiate wrestler and former Olympic amateur wrestler. In MMA, he was the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament champion, the first Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion, and the Pride Fighting...

, Chuck Liddell
Chuck Liddell
Charles David "Chuck" Liddell is a retired American mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion. Liddell has an extensive striking background in Kempo, Koei-Kan karate and kickboxing, as well as a grappling background in collegiate wrestling.As of his...

, Lyoto Machida
Lyoto Machida
Lyoto Carvalho Machida is a Japanese-Brazilian mixed martial artist from Belém, Brazil who fights as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

 and Forrest Griffin
Forrest Griffin
Forrest Griffin is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC light heavyweight champion....

. Shogun was the UFC light heavyweight champion until losing his first title defense against Jon Jones at UFC 128. His exciting, fan-friendly style includes much of the standard Chute Boxe Muay Thai clinch work, knees, stomps, and soccer kicks, as well as polished Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Rivalry with Brazilian Top Team

The opposite number in terms of Brazilian dominance in PRIDE FC was the Brazilian Top Team
Brazilian Top Team
The Brazilian Top Team is a mixed martial arts academy specializing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and boxing.The academy was established in April 2000 by Murilo Bustamante, Ricardo Libório, Mário Sperry and Luis Roberto Duarte, former-members of the Carlson Gracie Academy, to develop and create new...

 which was comprised, at the time, of such fighters as Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira is a Brazilian mixed martial artist known for his technical mastery of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he is a former UFCInterim Heavyweight Champion...

, Ricardo Arona
Ricardo Arona
Ricardo Arona is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and PRIDE FC Middleweight Grand Prix finalist. He has competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships and RINGS in his mixed martial arts career, and is a member of Brazilian Top Team.-Abu Dhabi and RINGS:...

, and Murilo Bustamante
Murilo Bustamante
Murilo Bustamante |Lion's Den]], Ikuhisa Minowa, Ryuta Sakurai , Dave Menne and undefeated top ranked Middleweight Matt Lindland .-Instructor lineage:Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda → Carlos Gracie, Sr...

. Competition between the two teams was hardly limited to the Pride scene however. Matches between fighters of the two organizations had taken place in Brazil, Portugal and other parts of the world before, but perhaps the most interesting chapter of the rivalry took place on August 28, 2005 at the 2005 PRIDE FC middle weight Grand Prix
PRIDE Final Conflict 2005
Pride Final Conflict 2005 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. This event featured the much anticipated heavyweight title fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko Cro Cop and also the final round of the 2005 Middleweight Tournament...

.

The 2005 PRIDE FC middleweight Grand Prix would be the first such competition for newcomers Mauricio Rua and BTT’s Ricardo Arona. Both scored impressive victories over highly regarded veterans Alistair Overeem and middleweight champ Wanderlei Silva respectively. It was Arona’s victory over the latter that would stoke the flames of the rivalry because until then Silva had been the torch-bearer for Chute Boxe. Later that night, however, “Shogun” would pick up the torch with a thoroughly dominating first round KO of Arona, ultimately finishing him on the ground which was considered Arona’s strength.

Another noticeable aspect of this period is that it shortly followed the departure of promising prospect Anderson Silva
Anderson Silva
Anderson da Silva is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He is the current UFC Middleweight Champion and the promotion's longest reigning champion. With 14 consecutive wins, Silva holds the longest winning streak and title defense streak in UFC history...

. Silva had noted several disputes with Chute Boxe's management as reasons for leaving the team and shortly began training with some of Brazilian Top Team's best in the Nogueira brothers. He was quoted in an ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

 article as stating that friendships formed with his former rivals helped to save his career upon his departure from Chute Boxe.

Post-Pride era

With the demise of PRIDE FC in late 2007, coinciding the departure of its first mass-appeal superstar Wanderlei Silva around the same time, Chute Boxe entered a new era. Moreover, the Rua brothers, Mauricio and Murilo, and Andre "Dida" Amade, also departed Chute Boxe to start their own gym.
However there is reason for optimism about up and coming fighters like lightweight Jean Silva
Jean Silva
Jean "White Bear" Silva is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He held the Cage Rage lightweight title until he lost it to Vitor Ribeiro via arm triangle choke at Cage Rage 13...

 has augmented their talent. In addition, fighter Evangelista Santos
Evangelista Santos
Evangelista Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who is a member of the famous Chute Boxe Academy. He has fought in Strikeforce, Pride Fighting Championship, Cage Rage, International Vale Tudo Championships and Pancrase. He is currently fighting for World Victory Road and Strikeforce...

 has recently competed in Strikeforce
Strikeforce
Strikeforce is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization based in San Jose, California. It is headed by CEO Scott Coker and owned by Zuffa, LLC...

 as well as his wife, female World Champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos
Cristiane Santos
Cristiane Justino Venancio Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and the Strikeforce Women's Featherweight Champion . Santos won the title on August 15, 2009 by defeating Gina Carano via TKO...

, who is currently Chute Boxe's most marketable fighter.

Former Chute Boxe fighters / trained with

  • Wanderlei Silva
    Wanderlei Silva
    Wanderlei César da Silva , nicknamed "The Axe Murderer", is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who has competed in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships and the American based Ultimate Fighting Championship . Silva is known for his aggressive fighting style with the majority of his fights ending in...

     (former PRIDE Middleweight Champion) -> Left Chute Boxe in 2007 to train with Xtreme Couture, in 2008 Silva opened a new gym under the banner "Wand Fight Team."
  • Mauricio Rua
    Mauricio Rua
    Maurício Milani Rua is a Brazilian mixed martial artist fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion...

     (PRIDE 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix champion and former UFC champion lightheavy weight) -> Left Chute Boxe in 2007 and founded Universidade da luta
    Universidade da luta
    Universidade da Luta is a team of Brazilian martial arts created by the fighters Mauricio Rua, Andre Amade, Mauricio Veio and Murilo Rua after their departure from the Chute Boxe Academy Team, in 2008. The name translates in English to "University of Fighting".The team’s headquarters is located in...

  • Murilo Rua
    Murilo Rua
    Murilo Rua is a former Brazilian mixed martial artist who fought in Pride Fighting Championships. Nicknamed Ninja, he is the older brother of former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. He is known for his well-rounded fighting skills, in particular Muay Thai and Brazilian...

     (former Elite XC Middleweight Champion) -> Left Chute Boxe in 2007 and founded Universidade da luta
    Universidade da luta
    Universidade da Luta is a team of Brazilian martial arts created by the fighters Mauricio Rua, Andre Amade, Mauricio Veio and Murilo Rua after their departure from the Chute Boxe Academy Team, in 2008. The name translates in English to "University of Fighting".The team’s headquarters is located in...

  • Anderson Silva
    Anderson Silva
    Anderson da Silva is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He is the current UFC Middleweight Champion and the promotion's longest reigning champion. With 14 consecutive wins, Silva holds the longest winning streak and title defense streak in UFC history...

     (Current UFC middleweight champion) -> Left Chute Boxe in 2003 to start MuayThai Dream Team. Left MuayThai Dream Team to start at Black House
    Black House (MMA)
    Black House is a mixed martial arts fighting team and gym based out of Brazil. Opened on November 27, 2006, Black House was started by former Brazilian Top Team member and black belt Carlos "Carlão" Barreto, Jorge Guimaraes and Rogerio Camoes...

    .
  • Gabriel Gonzaga
    Gabriel Gonzaga
    Gabriel Gonzaga , is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is a former member of Chute Boxe Academy and now fights out of Ludlow, Massachusetts as a part of Team Link...

     -> Left Chute Boxe in 2006 to move to Ludlow, Massachusetts and join Team Link.
  • Assuerio Silva
    Assuerio Silva
    Assuerio Silva is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional boxer, having most recently competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pancrase. He became the Heavyweight King of Pancrase on May 30, 2007, defeating Tatsuya Mizuno.Silva holds a professional fight record of 13–6–01, the...

     -> Left Chute Boxe in 2003 to start MuayThai Dream Team.
  • Mauricio Veio -> Left Chute Boxe in 2007 and founded Universidade da luta
    Universidade da luta
    Universidade da Luta is a team of Brazilian martial arts created by the fighters Mauricio Rua, Andre Amade, Mauricio Veio and Murilo Rua after their departure from the Chute Boxe Academy Team, in 2008. The name translates in English to "University of Fighting".The team’s headquarters is located in...

  • Thiago Silva Left Chute Boxe in 2008 and joined American Top Team
    American Top Team
    American Top Team is one of the leading teams in mixed martial arts. It was founded by former members of Brazilian Top Team, Ricardo Liborio, Marcus Silveira and Marcelo Silveira but there is no formal affiliation between the two teams. ATT's main academy is in Coconut Creek, Florida but has...

  • Andre Dida -> Left Chute Boxe in 2007 and founded Universidade da luta
    Universidade da luta
    Universidade da Luta is a team of Brazilian martial arts created by the fighters Mauricio Rua, Andre Amade, Mauricio Veio and Murilo Rua after their departure from the Chute Boxe Academy Team, in 2008. The name translates in English to "University of Fighting".The team’s headquarters is located in...

  • Edgars Simans -> Left Chute Boxe in 2009 and joined Golden Glory
    Golden Glory
    Golden Glory is a Muay Thai, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts camp, as well as a management team based in the Netherlands. With their primary fighter roster based out of Europe, Golden Glory has managed fighters from all over the world, such as American former team member, Heath Herring.Golden...

  • Cristiano Marcello
    Cristiano Marcello
    Cristiano Marcello is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and the Chute Boxe BJJ head coach, his most notable win is over The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir alumni Dave Kaplan. Cristiano has fought for PRIDE Fighting Championship...

    -> Left Chute Boxe in 2009 to go full force with his own martial arts academy, CM System.
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