Luta Livre was developed in the mid-20th century in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The creator of the Luta Livre system was Euclydes Hatem (Tatu). He is considered one of the best Brazilian fighters of all time.
The so-called “ground fighting” was always a priority because of its importance in Vale Tudo competitions. In the 1970s, Luta Livre was strongly influenced by technical experts such as Roberto Leitao.
Leitao was a university professor who devoted many years of his life to wrestling and judo without a “gi.” Because he was physically much weaker than most of his opponents at university, he had to rely on highly refined technique—much like Royce Gracie would do 20 years later in the UFC.
Luta Livre was passed down from generation to generation and brought to Germany by Professor Daniel D’ Dane. He taught Luta Livre to a handful of people in Cologne. Later, he also became Andreas Schmidt’s trainer.
Luta Livre is the style with the most victories in IVC (International Vale Tudo Championships). Luta Livre means “free fight” in Portuguese. Initially, it was a wrestling style in which fighters used holds and chokes to defeat their opponents.
The stand-up component of Luta Livre, including punches, kicks, and attacks with the elbows and knees, was added later to make the martial art more complete.
Luta Livre Esportiva is the competition version of Luta Livre. Only wrestling techniques are allowed to defeat your opponent. It is very important to devise a strategy before executing your movements.
Luta Livre Vale Tudo is the version in which Luta Livre truly becomes a free fight. In addition to Luta Livre’s wrestling elements, punches, kicks, knees, and elbows are added. These techniques are used to take someone to the ground and are often seen in MMA matches.
Luta Livre Vale Tudo is probably the martial art that most closely resembles Mixed Martial Arts. Finally, there is Luta Livre T36. This includes 36 Luta Livre skills for ending a fight by using chokes or joint locks against an opponent.
