was a mixed martial arts competition held in Japan. Founded by promoter and former professional wrestler Satoru Sayama and his organization Shooto, its first event was held in 1994. The 1994 tournament introduced ground striking to a major Japanese MMA event and helped lay the groundwork for modern Japanese MMA.
The events featured Japanese fighters from Shooto and the shoot wrestling circuit as well as international participants, including Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Rickson Gracie. Vale Tudo Japan events ran from 1994 to 1999; a pair of editions held in 1994 and '95 were single-elimination tournaments, both of which were won by Rickson Gracie. Afterwards, from 1996 to 1999 the events were invitationals.
Vale Tudo Japan returned in 2009, organized by the Vale Tudo Japan Executive Committee. The revived series ran through 2016, and a standalone VTJ 2021 event was held in 2021.
History Satoru Sayama, a former professional wrestler who had founded the hybrid martial arts organization Shooto in 1985, was impressed by the early Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events. He subsequently sought to organize an event inspired by both the UFC and the vale tudo competitions held in Brazil.
In 1994, Sayama arranged Vale Tudo Japan (VTJ), with the inaugural event, Vale Tudo Japan Open 1994 taking place at the Tokyo Bay NK Hall. The events featured fighters from a variety of martial arts backgrounds and emphasized matches between competitors with different fighting styles. The events were presented as legitimate martial arts competitions, with rules designed to allow techniques from multiple disciplines. The fighters were composed by the best Japanese MMA fighters drawn from Shooto, the Shoot Wrestling circuit as well as foreign invitees, one of them and most famously being the older brother of UFC champion Royce Gracie, Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Rickson Gracie. The first events held in 1994 and '95 were single-elimination tournaments, both of which were won by Gracie. Afterwards, from 1996 to 1999 the events were invitationals. Some other notable fighters to fight at Vale Tudo Japan include Sanae Kikuta, Takanori Gomi, Enson Inoue, João Roque, Carlos Newton, Rumina Sato, Royler Gracie, Dan Severn, Vladimir Matyushenko, Frank Shamrock, Jean Jacques Machado, Randy Couture, Frank Trigg, André Pederneiras, Rafael Cordeiro, Alexandre Franca Nogueira, Hayato Sakurai, and Yuki Nakai.
Vale Tudo Japan became an important platform for the development of mixed martial arts in Japan. Similar to his brother's victory in the UFC, Rickson Gracie's success in Vale Tudo Japan helped raise the profile Brazilian jiu-jitsu in mixed martial arts competition for the Japanese audience. Prior to this tournament, Shooto rules did not feature striking in ground position and Sayama would subsequently introduce ground striking into Shooto. Vale Tudo Japan also served as an important stepping stone for Women's mixed martial arts, with Vale Tudo Japan 1996 featuring a fight between joshi professional wrestler Yumiko Hotta and Dutch kickoxer Margot Neyhoft.
Early Vale Tudo Japan events were successful, leading to a boom of the popularity and development of MMA and Shooto in Japan, and the tournament is considered a predecessor to PRIDE Fighting Championships. VTJ's format and rules would serve as a basis for PRIDE, while Rickson Gracie's impressive victories in VTJ would make him a celebrity in Japan, leading to him being paired with popular Shoot-style professional wrestler Nobuhiko Takada to headline Pride 1 in 1997. The original Vale Tudo Japan series ended in 1999 after Shooto officials considered the event's purpose fulfilled, as Shooto had developed into an established MMA organization and VTJ was no longer considered necessary as a separate event.
Vale Tudo Japan returned in 2009 after a ten-year hiatus, organized by the Vale Tudo Japan Executive Committee in association with Shooto. The revival featured several veterans of the original series, including Takanori Gomi, Rumina Sato and Alexandre Franca Nogueira, while also serving as an opportunity for Shooto officials to test potential changes to its rules, including five-round fights, smaller gloves, and knees and stomps to grounded opponents. The revived series ran from 2009 until 2016.
After a five-year hiatus, VTJ was revived in 2021 as a special standalone event intended to restore its original "Japan vs. the world" concept. According to Sustain (the company responsible for promoting Professional Shooto) representative Kazuhiro Sakamoto, the COVID-19 pandemic had created a lack of opportunities for Japanese fighters to compete against foreign opponents, and the organizers saw the revival as an opportunity to test ways of bringing international fighters back to Japan. The event was therefore held as a one-off alongside a Professional Shooto card, with the aim of providing Japanese fighters with international competition. The event also used a mixed martial arts cage rather than the traditional Shooto ring used in former editions.
Events and results
Vale Tudo Japan 1994
Vale Tudo Japan 1994 was held on July 29, 1994, at the Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Urayasu, Japan.
Vale Tudo Japan 1994 bracket
* = Lomulder was unable to continue.
Vale Tudo Japan 1995
Vale Tudo Japan 1995 was held on April 20, 1995, at the Nippon Budokan Hall in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.
Vale Tudo Japan 1995 bracket
* = Hays was unable to continue. Kimura defeated Emons to claim his place.
Vale Tudo Japan 1996
Vale Tudo Japan 1996 was held on July 7, 1996, at the Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Urayasu, Japan.
Vale Tudo Japan 1997
Vale Tudo Japan 1997 was held on November 29, 1997, at the Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Urayasu, Japan.
Vale Tudo Japan 1998
Vale Tudo Japan 1998 was held on October 25, 1998, at the Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Urayasu, Japan.
Vale Tudo Japan 1999
Vale Tudo Japan 1999 was held on December 11, 1999, at the Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Urayasu, Japan.
Vale Tudo Japan 2009
Vale Tudo Japan 2009 was held on October 30, 2009, at the JCB Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 1st
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 1st (also known as VTJ 1ST) was held on December 24, 2012, at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 2nd
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 2nd (also known as VTJ 2ND) was held on June 22, 2013, at the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 3rd
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 3rd (also known as VTJ 3RD) was held on October 5, 2013, at Ota City General Gymnasium in Ota, Tokyo, Japan. The main event featured longtime # 1 ranked Megumi Fujii in her retirement bout.
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 4th
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 4th (also known as VTJ 4TH) was held on February 23, 2014, at Ota City General Gymnasium in Ota, Tokyo, Japan.
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 5th in Osaka
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 5th in Osaka (also known as VTJ 5TH IN OSAKA) was held on June 28, 2014, at Bodymaker Colosseum in Osaka, Japan.
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 6th
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 6th (also known as VTJ 6TH) was held on October 4, 2014, at Ota City General Gymnasium in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan.
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ in Osaka
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ in Osaka (also known as VTJ in Osaka) was held on June 21, 2015, at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium in Osaka, Japan.
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 7TH
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 7TH (also known as VTJ 7TH) was held on September 13, 2015, at Maihama Amphitheater in Urayasu, Japan.
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ in Okinawa
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ in Okinawa (also known as VTJ in Okinawa) was held on October 3, 2015, at Okinawa Prefectural Budokan in Naha, Okinawa, Japan.
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ in Osaka (2016)
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ in Osaka was held on June 19, 2016, at Edion Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan. In the main event, Daichi Takenaka defeated Alan Philpott by rear-naked choke in the first round.
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 8th
Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 8th was held on September 19, 2016, at Maihama Amphitheater in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan. ISAO defeated Yutaka Saito by split decision in the main event.
VTJ 2021
VTJ 2021 was held on November 6, 2021, at USEN Studio Coast in Kōtō, Tokyo. In the main event, Tatsuro Taira submitted Alfredo Muaiad with a rear-naked choke in the first round.
References
External links Official Website Vale Tudo Japan Results on Sherdog.com