Vale tudo
Encyclopedia
Vale tudo (ˈvali ˈtudu; meaning "everything allowed", or "anything goes") 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
Combat sport
A Combat sport, also known as a Fighting sport, is a competitive contact sport where two combatants fight against each other using certain rules of engagement , typically with the aim of simulating parts of real hand to hand combat...

 by some observers. While vale tudo uses techniques from many martial art styles, making it similar to modern mixed martial arts
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...

 competitions, it is a distinct style in its own right.

1920s to 1980s

Fighting sideshows, termed "vale tudo" or "anything goes", became popular in Brazilian circuses
Funfair
A funfair or simply "fair" is a small to medium sized travelling show primarily composed of stalls and other amusements. Larger fairs such as the permanent fairs of cities and seaside resorts might be called a fairground, although technically this should refer to the land where a fair is...

 during the 1920s. Examples of such bouts were described in the Japanese-American Courier on October 4, 1928:
However, this circus term did not enter popular use until 1959–1960, when it was used to describe the style-versus-style bouts featured in a Rio television show called Heróis do Ringue ("Heroes of the Ring"). The matchmakers and hosts of the show included members of the Gracie family
Gracie family
The Gracie family is a prominent sporting family from Brazil known for their founding of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu . They have been successful in combat sport competitions including mixed martial arts, vale tudo and submission wrestling events...

, and the participants were all legitimate practitioners of their styles. One night during the show, João Alberto Barreto (later a referee for UFC 1
UFC 1
The Ultimate Fighting Championship was the first mixed martial arts event by the Ultimate Fighting Championship , held at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado, on November 12, 1993...

) was competing against a man trained in luta livre. Barreto caught his opponent in an armbar
Armlock
An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint and/or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyperflexes or hyperrotates the shoulder joint is referred to as a shoulder lock, and an armlock that hyperextends the elbow joint is called...

 and the man refused to submit. Barreto subsequently broke the man's arm. Consequently, this show was canceled and soon replaced by a professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...

 show entitled, Telecatch
Telecatch
Telecatch was a Brazilian professional wrestling TV program originally called "Telecatch Montila". The name of the program would later be changed to "Os Reis do Ringue", which translates to "The Kings of the Ring"....

.

In the late 1950's, the Vale Tudo took the Viking culture by storm. The Vikings were soon to be know as some of the world's greatest fighters. One of the more notable fighters was named Ryan Sheibley. However, the Vikings knew him better as "El Terrible". In the Spanish language it means, "the Terrible." Ryan "the Terrible" Sheibley was one of the most dominant fighters of the 1950's and well into the 1960's. His most famous move was the Rear Naked Poke. He achieved many great victories using this move both in and out of the bedroom.

From 1960 onwards, vale tudo would remain a mostly underground subculture
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...

, with most fights taking place in martial arts dojos or small gymnasiums. The vale tudo subculture was mainly based in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

, but many fights also took place in the northern region
North Region, Brazil
The North Region of Brazil is the largest Region of Brazil, corresponding to 45.27% of the national territory. It is the least inhabited of the country, and contributes with a minor percentage in the national GDP and population...

, as well as the southern region and the Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...

 state, where capoeira
Capoeira
Capoeira is a Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, sports, and music. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with Brazilian native influences, probably beginning in the 16th century...

 is prevalent. The scene in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

 focused mainly on the intense rivalry between 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 luta livre, whereas fights in the other regions featured more diverse martial arts competing in the events.

1990s to present

During the 1970s, Rorion Gracie
Rorion Gracie
Rorion Gracie is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and instructor, a prominent member of the Gracie family, and a founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the oldest son of Hélio Gracie and one of the few people in the world to hold a 9th degree red belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,...

 of the famous Gracie family would eventually emigrate to the United States and introduce vale tudo to a new market when he helped found the 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...

 (UFC) in 1993. The enormous success of the UFC created a vale tudo explosion around the world, particularly in Japan, as well as a resurgence and newfound popularity back in Brazil. Some of the most noteworthy promotions of this time included, Desafio, Universal Vale Tudo Fighting (UVF), and Brazilian Vale Tudo Fighting (BVF) in Brazil and various Shooto
Shooto
Shooto is a mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the Shooto Association and the International Shooto Commission. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, as an organization and as a particular fighting system derived from shoot wrestling. Practitioners are referred to as shooters,...

 sanctioned vale tudo events in Japan, the most important of which was Vale Tudo Japan
Vale Tudo Japan
Vale Tudo Japan was an annual mixed martial arts tournament held in Japan from 1994 to 1999 with a reunion event in 2009.-Vale Tudo Japan 1994:Vale Tudo Japan 1994 was held on July 29, 1994 at the Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Urayasu, Japan....

. However, the premier organizations of the 1990s were 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) and the International Vale Tudo Championship
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...

 (IVC), which featured prominently throughout the 1990s as they were also televised on Brazilian TV and pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...

.

Both the WVC and IVC were based out of the Brazilian financial capital of São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...

 and launched the careers of many of today's MMA stars. However, after the state of São Paulo
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...

 prohibited vale tudo fights from being a sanctioned sport, both promotions went into decline and have not promoted a show since 2002.

Beginning in the early 2000s, newer promotions such as Jungle Fight and Bitetti Combat have begun abandoning traditional vale tudo rules in favor of the safer mixed martial arts
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...

 rules. However, some promotions continued the use of traditional rules most notably including Mecca World Vale Tudo and Rio Heroes.

Today, vale tudo events are still taking place in great numbers around Brazil. However, due to the violent and bloody nature of the sport these underground events sometimes cause controversy in the media. Critics of the sport argue that vale tudo shows should all adopt the much safer mixed martial arts
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...

 rules that have developed and gained athletic sanctioning in countries such as the United States and Japan. Supporters of vale tudo counter that the sanctioned mixed martial arts
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...

 style that developed in the United States is now so different from traditional vale tudo that it should be treated as an entirely different sport, just as kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....

 is considered different from 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...

.

Brazilians

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • Rickson Gracie
    Rickson Gracie
    Rickson Gracie is a Brazilian 8th degree black and red belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a retired mixed martial artist. He is a member of the Gracie family: the son of Hélio Gracie, brother to Rorion and Relson Gracie, and half-brother to Rolker, Royce, Robin and Royler Gracie.-Biography:Rickson...

  • Rorion Gracie
    Rorion Gracie
    Rorion Gracie is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and instructor, a prominent member of the Gracie family, and a founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the oldest son of Hélio Gracie and one of the few people in the world to hold a 9th degree red belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,...

  • Royce Gracie
    Royce Gracie
    Royce Gracie is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A legend and pioneer in the sport of mixed martial arts, he is widely considered to be the most influential figure in the history of modern MMA.Gracie gained fame for his...

  • Renzo Gracie
    Renzo Gracie
    Renzo Gracie is a Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie Jr. and a former mixed martial arts competitor in the Ultimate Fighting Championship . He is member of the Gracie family of Brazil. He is the son of Robson Gracie, grandson of Carlos Gracie, nephew of Carlos...

  • José 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...

  • Rei Zulu
    Rei Zulu
    Casimiro de Nascimento Martins, better known as Rei Zulu , is a mixed martial arts fighter from Brazil. Zulu was born of poverty, and decided to seek a career as a professional Vale Tudo fighter. Zulu had his first fight at age 18 in 1963.Zulu made a name for himself by challenging local tough...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • Vitor Belfort
    Vitor Belfort
    Vítor Vieira Belfort is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Belfort was born in Rio de Janeiro and studied jiu-jitsu with the Gracie family, namely Carlson Gracie. He received a black belt under Carlson and currently trains with Xtreme Couture, fighting in...

  • 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...

  • Renato Sobral
    Renato Sobral
    Renato da Cunha Sobral , also known as "Babalu", is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, and former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. He is regarded as one of the best light heavyweights of the night, and noted for his aggressive style, grappling prowess, and high-caliber submissions. Sobral...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • Fabricio Werdum
    Fabricio Werdum
    Fabricio Werdum is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, a two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, a two-time ADCC world heavyweight champion and European Jiu-Jitsu champion. He holds black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and Muay Thai. Werdum has competed in Pride Fighting Championships, the...

  • Antonio Rodrigo 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...

  • Valdemar Santana
    Valdemar Santana
    Waldemar Santana , sometimes known as Adema Santa, was a Brazilian martial artist, who trained in Capoeira under Mestre Bimba and also in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Helio Gracie and boxing.-Biography:...

  • Frederico Lapenda
    Frederico Lapenda
    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...

  • Jose Aldo
    Jose Aldo
    José Aldo is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who competes as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is the first and current UFC Featherweight Champion...


Non-Brazilians

  • 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....

  • Mitsuyo Maeda
    Mitsuyo Maeda
    ,a Brazilian naturalized as Otávio Maeda,was a Japanese judōka and prizefighter in no holds barred competitions. He was also known as Count Combat or Conde Koma in Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese, a nickname he picked up in Spain in 1908...

  • Masahiko Kimura
    Masahiko Kimura
    was a Japanese judoka who is widely considered one of the greatest judoka of all time. Kimura was born on September 10, 1917 in Kumamoto, Japan...

  • Bas Rutten
    Bas Rutten
    Sebastiaan "Bas" Rutten is a retired Dutch mixed martial artist, Karate and Taekwondo blackbelt, and kickboxer. He was a UFC Heavyweight Champion, a three time King of Pancrase world champion, and finished his career on a 22 fight unbeaten streak...


External links

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