Luta Livre was developed in the mid-20th century in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The creator of the Luta Livre system was Euclydes Hatem (Tatu), who is considered one of the best Brazilian fighters of all time.
The so-called 'ground fight' was always a priority due to its importance in Vale Tudo matches. In the 1970s, Luta Livre was heavily influenced by technical experts such as Roberto Leitao.
Leitao was a university professor who dedicated many years of his life to wrestling and no-gi judo. Because he was physically weaker than most of his university opponents, he relied on highly refined technique – much like Royce Gracie would do in the UFC 20 years later.
Luta Livre was passed down through generations and was brought to Germany by Professor Daniel D'Dane. He taught Luta Livre to a small group of people in Cologne. Later, he also became the trainer of Andreas Schmidt.
Luta Livre is the style with the most victories in IVC (International Vale Tudo Championships). Luta Livre means "free fight" in Portuguese. Initially, it's a wrestling style where fighters use holds and chokes to subdue their opponents.
The standing component of Luta Livre, such as punches and kicks and attacks with elbows and knees, was later added to make the martial art more complete.
Luta Livre Esportiva is the competitive version of Luta Livre. Only wrestling techniques are allowed to subdue your opponent. Developing a strategy before executing your moves is crucial.
Luta Livre Vale Tudo is the version where Luta Livre truly becomes a free fight. In addition to the wrestling elements of Luta Livre, punches, kicks, knees, and elbows are now added. These techniques are used to take someone to the ground and are often seen in MMA matches.
Luta Livre Vale Tudo is arguably the martial art that most closely approaches Mixed Martial Arts. Finally, there is Luta Livre T36. This encompasses 36 Luta Livre techniques to end a fight through choking holds or joint locks.
