Vale tudo, translated from Portuguese as "anything goes", is a Brazilian martial art that has become popular all over the world. In Brazil, the term vale tudo was first used in the circus fist fights of the 1920s. The circus term was hardly used until about 1959-1960, when it was used to describe the style-versus-style fights on the Brazilian television show Heróis do Ringue (Heroes of the Ring). The show was hosted by members of the Gracie family and all the participants were very good fighters in their own martial arts styles.
From 1960 onwards, vale tudo remained an 'underground' subculture and most fights took place in martial arts dojos or small gymnasiums. Vale tudo was mainly located around the city of Rio de Janeiro , but many fights also took place in more northern regions and in the southern state of Bahia, where Capoeira was the main sport. In and around Rio de Janeiro, the main rivalry was between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Luta Livre , while in the other regions various martial arts competed against each other.
Rorion Gracie, a member of the famous Gracie family, moved to America and introduced vale tudo to a new market when he founded the UFC in 1993. The UFC's huge success led to a vale tudo explosion all over the world, especially in Japan and it found renewed popularity in Brazil. This resulted in two organizations that organized vale tudo matches, the WVC and the IVC. Both organizations were based in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo and many of today's MMA stars started their careers there.
After vale tudo fights were banned in Sao Paulo, both organizations ceased to exist in 2002. The world focused mainly on the safer Mixed Martial Arts , where stricter rules apply. When vale tudo was also banned in the United States, vale tudo retreated back into the 'underground' of Brazil. Every year, countless vale tudo fights still take place in Brazil, but due to their violent and bloody image, the fights can count on a lot of criticism from the media.
Critics believe that vale tudo fights should adopt the rules of the much safer Mixed Martial Arts . Vale tudo supporters are strongly opposed to this because MMA, developed in America, is very different from vale tudo and should therefore be seen as a completely different sport, just as Muay Thai is different from the safer kickboxing, for example.
