Look back Vale Tudo Japan with 5 fights

Vale Tudo Japan 09's ticket sales is very well even with high price.Why?I give some old fight's explanation and make some hype for you. Vale Tudo Japan rule at 09 event is most resemble to Sengoku rule.Allow stomp and knee on ground.Which make more finish and make duel atmosphere.

Import point is

1 : Vale Tudo is Martial arts vs Martial arts for survive.
2 : Vale Tudo is contempt about fighter's safety.More duel than fight.
3 : Brazilian Jiujitsu is biggest background at that era.
4 : Vale Tudo Japan loser try to find what they don't know and teach to student.
5 : Brazilian Jiujitsu become part of MMA.MMA fighter start find way to win with MMA skill.

Let's look back Vale Tudo Japan with 5 fight I choices.

1: Yuki Nakai over Gerard Gordeau at VTJ 1995

Shooto LW champ Yuki Nakai graduate Hokkaido University and have Shichitei Judo (I will explain this at other post) background face Karate Practitioner Gerard Gordeau who is over 100kgs.

At early Vale Tudo era,there is aspect of martial arts vs other martial arts.Martial Arts master fight for continuous of his skill.So there is lot of malice.MMA is not exist at there.They just want define which is strongest martial arts.Therefore, rule limitation getting contempt.Gordeau is the guy bite Royce's arm at UFC 1.Then he eye-gouge Nakai and make Nakai one eye blind.The result make him eternal retire from MMA.

At VTJ 94,Shooto fighter can't win against foreigner.Yuki Nakai want prove Shooto fighter can fight.He said "I can beat ***** or ***** (pro wrestler name) ".Shooto make a less attention at that days.When He talk about Vale Tudo Japan he say "I could die for Shooto at that day".His win against Gordeau, and VTJ finalist status really first time to tell Shooto's promotion's value for outside world.

Yuki Nakai's gym Paraestra produce strong grapple fighter like Shinya Aoki or Satoru Kitaoka.

2: Enson Inoue over Randy Couture at VTJ 1998

Enson Inoue is Japanese American (Nikkei 4th generation) who training kick boxing. Add BJJ skill under Relson Gracie.Which is important.Because guy like Yuki Nakai learn BJJ from him,So basically Enson is father of BJJ in Japan.He show his BJJ skill and won against that date's UFC champ.That won helps he and Shooto's existence grow.Enson got many attention from Japanese MMA magazine because of this fight.

Enson Inoue make his gym Purebred and many elite fighter like Norifumi "kid" Yamamoto,Tetsuji Kato and Ganjo Tentsuku improve his skill at there.


3 Rickson Gracie over Yoshinori Nishi at VTJ 1994

Yoshinori Nishi is Daidojuku champ.Who faced Rickson at VTJ.But he don't know about what Vale Tudo is and make him cost lose.His famous words is "I Recognize run from fight by fear of defeat is such a shame.I aim dream of a man "be a strong man"(whatever happen from fighting) "
He prove his words but not by him.He establish Wajyutsu Keisyukai which is today's biggest gym group in Japan.Nishi and one of Wajyutsu's gym master Ryusuke Moriyama learn Judo from Masahiko Kimura.But at VTJ he can't fit his Judo at Vale Tudo game.Wajyutsu Keisyukai add some Brazilian Jiujitsu aspect and mix there Judo game.Therefore Wajyutu's grappling have some differ taste at that days.

Caol Uno debut at Shooto in 1996.He participate VTJ from 1998.He draw Andre "dede" Pederneiras who is Nova Uniao founder and show Wajyutsu can compete Brazilian Jiujitsu.

Rickson Gracie get know martial arts audience his name by his UFC 1 winner Royce's famous remark "Rickson was 10 times better than he was." Unfortunately He have only 11 fight and retire to defend self reputation.But Gracie and his family's influence's value is eternal.

4 ,Rumina Sato over Ricardo "Ricky" Botelho

At that day Brazilian Jiujitsu dominate at Vale Tudo.But slowly fighter realizes Brazilian Jiujitsu is not only way to win a game.Rumina Sato his father born in 1993, his father named "Rumina" took word from Latin's "Luna (moon) " and "Lupinus (wolf (if it go exact mean "Lupinus" is plant name but Lupinus words come from "Lupus"= wolf ))".Train under Noboru Asahi at Kiguchi Dojo .His win against Botelho show gain Brazilian Jiujitsu's knowledge and add some other skill make possibility to beat Brazilian Jiujitsu's black blt.Later wrestling and ground pound really come to mma.But at this moment leg lock is really important skill to beat who don't know about leg lock.

5 David Levicki over Kazuhiro Kusayanagi at VTJ 94

At early Vale Tudo's era weight difference is ignored.Because they define it as street fight show in venue.So Levicki who over 132kg face Kusayanagi who is fight for 70kgs at career.Kusayanagi lose.That make journalist headline "Japan weakest"
at martial arts magazine.Shooto people want revenge about it.That is huge motivation for Shooto guy's evolve.

Kazuhiro Kusayanagi leave Kiguchi Dojo and make his own K'z Factory gym where many elite fighter like Takanori Gomi,Akira Kikuchi,Kotetsu Boku and Masahiro Oishi improve his skill at there.