Issue 079

September 2011

In keeping with our Brazil theme Andrew Garvey dusts off the VHS tapes (remember those?) and revisits some of the most violent fights and tournaments of ‘90s Brazilian vale tudo

1 Campeonato Brasileiro de Vale Tudo 1

Released years ago on DVD (and still not all that hard to find) this Sao Paulo event is a genuine classic and something every MMA fan should see. Held on November 1st 1996, before one of the bigger Brazilian crowds of its time with a repeatedly claimed 9,000 passionate fans in attendance, this is a fine example of no-holds-barred fighting, complete with plenty of headbutting and soccer kicks. With three separate eight-man tournaments on the go, and the pro debut of a ferocious youngster named Wanderlei Silva, there’s plenty of intense violence on offer. A fascinating snapshot of a very different era and one stuffed with talented hard men, like Jorge Patino and ‘Pele’ (see below), Marcelo Giudici, Johil de Oliveira, Jorge Pereira and Roberto Godoi.

2 Mestre Hulk vs Amaury Bitetti

Sidney Goncalves Freitas, a mestre (master) of capoeira and nicknamed ‘Hulk’, is something of a forgotten man these days. Hefty, heavy-handed and agile, Hulk triumphed in a memorable ‘style vs style’ type New Year’s Day tournament in 1995. Battering his first two opponents to defeat, the energetic Hulk faced jiu-jitsu black belt Bitetti in the final. Twice a BJJ world champion in ‘96 and ’97, Bitetti’s superb grappling was no match for Hulk’s power-punching and, as the larger man blasted away at his downed, unconscious opponent, the referee, presumably daydreaming, simply stood there long enough to prove Steve Mazzagatti is far from the worst official in history. A sudden, brutal 23-second onslaught, the fight looks just as primal today as it did a decade and a half ago. And the post-fight pandemonium of people excitedly catapulting themselves into the ring remains something to behold.

3 ‘Pele’ vs Macaco

Contesting one of the more famous, and bitter, fighting feuds of the 1990s, Cuban-born, Brazil-based Muay Thai wrecking machine Jose ‘Pele’ Landi-Jons and Jorge ‘Macaco’ Patino met twice in the ring and traded more than their share of verbal shots out of it. Their first fight (at Campeonato Brasileiro de Vale Tudo 1, see above) saw plenty of trash-talking, headbutts, groin shots, the dreaded 12-to-6 elbows, Macaco having the back of his head humped in humiliating fashion and Pele landing a late kick to the face just after an exhausted Macaco had quit and the fight was waved off. In a wild rematch four months later at WVC4, Macaco tore out an earring Pele had foolishly worn, cut open his own forehead delivering some furious headbutts and twice drove Pele, and himself, through the ropes and tumbling to the floor. Again, Pele won, with frustrated Macaco losing on cuts.

4 The Smashing Machine

One of the more memorable one-night performances in fighting history, titanic American freestyle wrestler Mark Kerr made his fighting debut at the third World Vale Tudo Championships in January ’97. And incredibly, for a man of his size, spent almost 35 minutes in the ring, obliterating three tough fighters. Smacking around mammoth UFC veteran Paul Varelans in the first round, finishing the fight with some chilling knees on the ground, he gave Mestre Hulk such a ferocious beating in the second that the usually belligerent Brazilian crawled out of the ring, preferring ignominious disqualification to more punishment. In the final, Kerr and a much-smaller Fabio Gurgel battled for a full and surprisingly dramatic 30 minutes, most of which saw Kerr slowly re-arranging the BJJ champion’s face with punches and headbutts.

5 World Vale Tudo Championships II – VI

Promoted by Frederico Lapenda, long-time manager of Marco Ruas, and more recently a film producer listing award-winning MMA documentary The Smashing Machine and madcap 2009 film Zombie Farm among his diverse credits, the WVC ran 14 shows between August 1996 and March 2002. Aiming to take Vale Tudo global, the first WVC was held in Tokyo but it was the next five shows, from November ’96 to November ’98 that really left their mark on fans’ minds. Held in smaller venues before some frighteningly raucous fans, those five tournament-based events are fondly remembered by fans of bare-knuckle vale tudo action. With a combined 39 fights, just three of them going the distance and featuring the likes of Pele, Patino, Ruas, Kerr, Pedro Rizzo and Igor Vovchanchyn in bloody, destructive fights, what more could you ask for?