Mixed martial arts in Brazil

Mixed martial arts in Brazil
CountryBrazil
Governing bodyThe Comissao Atletica Brasileira de MMA (CABMMA)[1]
National teamBrazil

Mixed martial arts in Brazil is the second most popular sport after football, but historically the most popular combat sport.[2][3] Brazil is seen as a pioneer of MMA worldwide, and many Brazilian fans credit the country as the creator of the discipline.

The country has produced numerous fighters who have won world championships abroad, such as in PRIDE Fighting Championships, M-1 Global, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator MMA, ONE Championship, and LUX Fight League. In the UFC, Brazilians have the most foreign champions (a total of 22 fighters).

History

The precursor to mixed martial arts in Brazil was vale tudo,[4] a combat style dating back to the 1920s in which athletes could use any technique from martial arts or different combat sports, since, as the name indicated, anything went. The term was even used as a synonym for MMA in the country, but fell out of use due to the emergence of stricter rules and the influence of the media in giving it a more "civilized" name. Currently, it is used to refer to an early, more rule-free stage of modern sport.[5]

Much of Brazil's popularity and status as a powerhouse in this sport is due to the Gracie family.[6] On October 23, 1951, patriarch Hélio Gracie faced Japanese fighter Masahiko Kimura in a bout that, while not for a championship, pitted a pioneer of Brazilian jiu-jitsu against a judo master. The result was a victory for Kimura by towel and was considered one of the earliest innovations in mixed martial arts.[7]

Organizations

Jungle Fight is a Brazilian MMA and kickboxing promotion, and has been considered the most important in South America, as many of its fighters have jumped to major foreign promotions.[8] Previously there was International Vale Tudo Championship, which was active between 1997 and 2003 with a brief return in the late 2010s,[9] when the company finally closed.

The Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission, or Comissao Atletica Brasileira de MMA (CABMMA), represents state federations across Brazil and is spearheaded by lawyers Giovanni Biscardi and Rafael Favettia, a former Executive Secretary of the Minister of Justice and Interim Minister of Justice.[10]

Broadcasters

The UFC is the most widely watched MMA organization and is broadcast on Globo.[11] Jungle Fight is a popular domestic Brazilian MMA organization.[12][13]

References

  1. ^ "Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission joins IMMAF regulatory group". MMAjunkie.
  2. ^ "Brazil a booming market for Mixed Martial Arts". 5 July 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2017 – via Reuters.
  3. ^ "MMA is second only to soccer in Brazil, but how popular is Jose Aldo in his home country?". Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  4. ^ Binner, Andrew. "The rise of Mixed Martial Arts". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  5. ^ Barbosa Rozendo Lima, Vitor; Levi Fraga, Nicolas; Nobre de Carvalho, Vitor; Bettine de Almeida, Marco Antonio (22 September 2015). "Influência do Vale-Tudo nos atletas atuais de MMA". EFdeportes. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  6. ^ Sanderson, Chris. "From the Gracies To the Silvas: The Dominance of Brazil in MMA". Bleacher Report.
  7. ^ "Gracie Jiu-Jitsu versus Japanese Judo Revisited - Part 1: The Gathering Storm". Global Training Report. 2016. Archived from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  8. ^ Wyman, Patrick. "Sherdog's Top 10: Regional MMA Promotions - No. 5". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  9. ^ "Saiba mais sobre o histórico IVC que estará de volta neste sábado, em Sorocaba". Tvfight.tv (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2016-10-12. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  10. ^ "IMMAF welcomes Brazil as member". 30 April 2013. Archived from the original on 30 April 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  11. ^ "Today in MMA History: The UFC cracks open Brazilian market, where it will feast for years to come". August 27, 2018.
  12. ^ "Promoters refuse to tap out, but struggle with crisis in Brazilian MMA". www.mmafighting.com.
  13. ^ "Feature: 'You're Going to Die' - The history behind Brazil's notorious MMA chant". www.bloodyelbow.com.
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