Vale Tudo Japan

Vale Tudo Japan (VTJ) (ヴァーリ・トゥード・ジャパン, Vāri Tūdo Japan) was an annual mixed martial arts competition held in Japan. Originally it was arranged by promoter and former professional wrestler Satoru Sayama; he had previously created a hybrid martial art organization named Shooto in 1985. He arranged VTJ in 1994 with the objective of creating a more rules-free event similar to the early Ultimate Fighting Championship events in the United States and Vale Tudo competitions in Brazil. Until the Vale Tudo Japan tournament, Shooto did not feature striking in ground position. The fighters were composed of the best Japanese MMA fighters drawn from Shooto, the Shoot Wrestling circuit as well as foreign invitees, including illustrious names such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Rickson Gracie.^[1][2]

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 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.^[3] Afterwards, from 1996 to 1999 the events were invitationals.^[2][4]

Vale Tudo Japan returned in 2009, organized by the Vale Tudo Japan Executive Committee, with semi-annual events and three reunion events in 2009, 2012 and 2016.^[2] The new Vale Tudo Japan events ran from 2009 to 2016, with a last standalone event in 2021.^[5]

Early Vale Tudo Japan events were a huge success and led to a boom of popularity and development of MMA and Shooto in Japan. The tournament is considered a predecessor to PRIDE Fighting Championships. VTJ's format and rules would serve as a basis for PRIDE,^[2] 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.^[6]

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 7TH

Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ IN OKINAWA (also known as VTJ IN OKINAWA) was held on September 13, 2015, at Okinawa Prefectural Budokan in Naha, Okinawa, Japan.

References

1. ^ "Fight Finder - Mixed Martial Arts Statistics". Archived from the original on March 12, 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2006.
2. ^ Sherdog.com. "The Resurrection of Vale Tudo Japan". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
3. ^ Blackett, Todd (14 February 2024). "Throwback: Rickson Gracie vs Yuki Nakai At Vale Tudo Japan 1995". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
4. ^ "Vale Tudo Japan - VTJ (Vale Tudo Japan Executive Committee) | MMA Promoter". Tapology. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
5. ^ "Vale Tudo Japan - VTJ (Vale Tudo Japan Executive Committee) | MMA Promoter". Tapology. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
6. ^ "Archived Magazine Article". www.japaninc.com. 2006-11-08. Retrieved 2022-01-28.

External links

• Official Website
• Vale Tudo Japan Results on Sherdog.com