Frederico Lapenda
Encyclopedia
Frederico Lapenda is a Brazilian-born fight promoter and movie producer who is one of the pioneers of the sport of vale tudo
and mixed martial arts and is widely credited, along with Ultimate Fighting Championship
creator Art Davie
, as being responsible for creating the worldwide MMA
movement.
The beginning of vale tudo (anything goes) fighting, later to become known as mixed martial arts or MMA, can be credited to Helio Gracie
and Carlos Gracie
in Rio de Janeiro, in the early 1900s where Helio took on all comers regardless of time limit, weight or style. In 1993 the sport moved to the US and focused on jiu-jitsu stylists fighting champions of other specific styles such as karate, kickboxing, and judo when Art Davie created the UFC in 1993.
to the U.S. in UFC VI to be introduced to the crowd and then to fight and win UFC VII. During this time he created Ruas Vale Tudo, the prototype MMA cross-training style that is still emulated to this day link 1.
Lapenda also created the Brazilian Dream Team, which was to have all the major Brazilian fighters training together in Luta Livre, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
, wrestling, and muay Thai under Carlson Gracie
. Lapenda actually opened an academy in Los Angeles in 1995 near UCLA in Westwood, California, for Carlson Gracie to teach at. The Brazilian Dream Team eventually became the Brazilian Top Team
and was composed of those same people Lapenda brought together under Carlson to cross-train.
In 1996, at the age of just 26, Lapenda decided to take the sport global and created his own fighting event, the World Vale Tudo Championship
(WVC), which debuted at NK Hall Bay auditorium in Japan to a packed house. That first event had an eight-man tournament plus a super fight. Among the fighters were three of the six UFC champions including Steve Jennum
, Oleg Taktarov
and Marco Ruas
. This was the first time a foreigner had promoted a martial arts fight in Japan and also the first time a UFC champion fought in Japan.
From there, Lapenda followed up WVC Japan with numerous other international shows. The WVC during the second half of the '90s was the leading international event and created such stars as Pedro Rizzo
, Mark Kerr, Heath Herring
, Igor Vovchanchyn
, and many others. All of these WVC fighters would go on to fight in either the UFC or for Pride in Japan, which would attract the largest audiences in the world through the foundation laid by Lapenda's WVC Japan.
In the span of just six years, Lapenda took MMA to Israel, Russia, Brazil, Holland, Japan, Aruba, Jamaica, and Ukraine and produced over 100 shows. In 1998, he produced the first West Coast cable broadcast of mixed martial arts (Combate Mortal) on KWHY TV. Lapenda also broke new ground by co-producing two of the first MMA theatrical documentaries, The Smashing Machine (HBO, 2002) and Rites of Passage: The Rebirth of Combat Sports (PPV, 2001), which are still considered the industry gold standard. He introduced pay-per-view to Brazilian television and his WVC Japan was just the fourth MMA show to ever air on US PPV.
In 2002 Lapenda became a filmmaker/producer at Peter Guber
's Mandalay Entertainment Group and then founded Paradigm Pictures. He has produced four highly-rated programs for Fox Files, including Russian Night Life and Amsterdam: The Red Light District. In addition he produced Ultimate Fighting Around the World and Underground Fighting in California. His feature film credits as producer include Blonde and Blonder
with Denise Richards
and Pamela Anderson
, Fathers of the Sport, Bad Guys, Shut Up & Shoot, Nightmare Man
and others with Paradigm Pictures.
Lapenda was acknowledged as a "true visionary" by Grappling magazine, which ran a two-part 12-page article on his life and accomplishments, and was also featured on the cover of Gladiator magazine in 2007 and publicly honored, along with UFC creator Art Davie, as one of the two men who created MMA.
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...
and mixed martial arts and is widely credited, along with Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
creator Art Davie
Art Davie
Art Davie is a business executive and entrepreneur formerly active in Southern California advertising circles. In 1993, he created and co-produced the tournament which became the televised Ultimate Fighting Championship. In 1998, Davie, as vice-president of K-1 USA, brought the successful K-1...
, as being responsible for creating the worldwide MMA
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
movement.
The beginning of vale tudo (anything goes) fighting, later to become known as mixed martial arts or MMA, can be credited to Helio Gracie
Hélio Gracie
Hélio Gracie was a Brazilian martial artist who, together with his brother Carlos Gracie, founded the martial art of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, known internationally as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu...
and Carlos Gracie
Carlos Gracie
Carlos Gracie was the first Gracie to learn Judo from Otávio Mitsuyo Maeda. Based on this judo training, Carlos and his brothers founded the martial art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu...
in Rio de Janeiro, in the early 1900s where Helio took on all comers regardless of time limit, weight or style. In 1993 the sport moved to the US and focused on jiu-jitsu stylists fighting champions of other specific styles such as karate, kickboxing, and judo when Art Davie created the UFC in 1993.
Globalization of MMA
The globalization of MMA would happen in 1995 when Lapenda, transplanted to Los Angeles, was looking to take MMA outside of the U.S. and to build a star that would attract the followers of all styles. He brought Rio de Janeiro fighter Marco RuasMarco Ruas
Marco Antônio de Lima Ruas is a retired mixed martial arts fighter and instructor. Most notably, he was the UFC 7 Tournament Champion and is considered one of the earliest examples of the complete mixed martial artist, highly skilled in both striking and grappling.-Biography:Ruas is famous for...
to the U.S. in UFC VI to be introduced to the crowd and then to fight and win UFC VII. During this time he created Ruas Vale Tudo, the prototype MMA cross-training style that is still emulated to this day link 1.
Lapenda also created the Brazilian Dream Team, which was to have all the major Brazilian fighters training together in Luta Livre, 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...
, wrestling, and muay Thai under Carlson Gracie
Carlson Gracie
Carlson Gracie, Sr. was a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He was the eldest son of Carlos Gracie, founder of the system with his uncle Hélio Gracie, and learned the art from his uncle and his father. He was a member of the legendary Gracie family.- Biography :Carlson Gracie would later split...
. Lapenda actually opened an academy in Los Angeles in 1995 near UCLA in Westwood, California, for Carlson Gracie to teach at. The Brazilian Dream Team eventually became 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...
and was composed of those same people Lapenda brought together under Carlson to cross-train.
In 1996, at the age of just 26, Lapenda decided to take the sport global and created his own fighting event, the World Vale Tudo Championship
World Vale Tudo Championship
The World Vale Tudo Championship, or WVC, was a no holds barred-style MMA fighting promotion based in Brazil. The promotion was founded by Brazilian promoter Frederico Lapenda...
(WVC), which debuted at NK Hall Bay auditorium in Japan to a packed house. That first event had an eight-man tournament plus a super fight. Among the fighters were three of the six UFC champions including Steve Jennum
Steve Jennum
Steve Jennum is a retired American mixed martial artist and Nebraska police officer. He was the winner of the UFC 3 tournament in 1994.-Mixed martial arts career:...
, Oleg Taktarov
Oleg Taktarov
Oleg Nikolaevich Taktarov is a retired Russian mixed martial artist and actor. He is a practitioner of Sambo and Judo and has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride Fighting Championships. Taktarov was the UFC 6 tournament champion and holds notable wins over Marco Ruas and David...
and Marco Ruas
Marco Ruas
Marco Antônio de Lima Ruas is a retired mixed martial arts fighter and instructor. Most notably, he was the UFC 7 Tournament Champion and is considered one of the earliest examples of the complete mixed martial artist, highly skilled in both striking and grappling.-Biography:Ruas is famous for...
. This was the first time a foreigner had promoted a martial arts fight in Japan and also the first time a UFC champion fought in Japan.
From there, Lapenda followed up WVC Japan with numerous other international shows. The WVC during the second half of the '90s was the leading international event and created such stars as Pedro Rizzo
Pedro Rizzo
Pedro Augusto Rizzo is an Brazilian mixed martial artist and Muay Thai fighter. He has a professional MMA record of 19–9–0 as of July 17, 2010. He holds notable victories over former UFC Champions Mark Coleman, Dan Severn, Josh Barnett, Andrei Arlovski, Ricco Rodriguez and Ken Shamrock.-Mixed...
, Mark Kerr, Heath Herring
Heath Herring
Heath Herring is an inactive American Heavyweight professional mixed martial artist who attained popularity fighting for PRIDE FC in Japan and most recently fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
, Igor Vovchanchyn
Igor Vovchanchyn
Igor Yaroslavovich "Ice Cold" Vovchanchyn is a retired Ukrainian mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He won seven mixed martial arts tournaments, as well as acquiring a 37 fight unbeaten streak, and reaching the final of the Pride Grand Prix 2000....
, and many others. All of these WVC fighters would go on to fight in either the UFC or for Pride in Japan, which would attract the largest audiences in the world through the foundation laid by Lapenda's WVC Japan.
In the span of just six years, Lapenda took MMA to Israel, Russia, Brazil, Holland, Japan, Aruba, Jamaica, and Ukraine and produced over 100 shows. In 1998, he produced the first West Coast cable broadcast of mixed martial arts (Combate Mortal) on KWHY TV. Lapenda also broke new ground by co-producing two of the first MMA theatrical documentaries, The Smashing Machine (HBO, 2002) and Rites of Passage: The Rebirth of Combat Sports (PPV, 2001), which are still considered the industry gold standard. He introduced pay-per-view to Brazilian television and his WVC Japan was just the fourth MMA show to ever air on US PPV.
In 2002 Lapenda became a filmmaker/producer at Peter Guber
Peter Guber
Howard Peter Guber is an American film producer and executive and Chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment...
's Mandalay Entertainment Group and then founded Paradigm Pictures. He has produced four highly-rated programs for Fox Files, including Russian Night Life and Amsterdam: The Red Light District. In addition he produced Ultimate Fighting Around the World and Underground Fighting in California. His feature film credits as producer include Blonde and Blonder
Blonde and Blonder
Blonde and Blonder is a 2008 Canadian comedy film starring Pamela Anderson, Denise Richards and Emmanuelle Vaugier. The film was directed by Dean Hamilton, and was released on January 18, 2008.The film's name is a reference to Dumb and Dumber....
with Denise Richards
Denise Richards
Denise Lee Richards is an American actress and former fashion model of Croatian and Welsh descent. She has appeared in films including Starship Troopers, Wild Things, and The World Is Not Enough...
and Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
, Fathers of the Sport, Bad Guys, Shut Up & Shoot, Nightmare Man
Nightmare Man (2006 film)
Nightmare Man is a 2006 horror film written and directed by Rolfe Kanefsky. It was produced by Paradigm Pictures, a division of Paradigm Entertainment Group, and Frederico Lapenda.-Storyline:...
and others with Paradigm Pictures.
Lapenda was acknowledged as a "true visionary" by Grappling magazine, which ran a two-part 12-page article on his life and accomplishments, and was also featured on the cover of Gladiator magazine in 2007 and publicly honored, along with UFC creator Art Davie, as one of the two men who created MMA.