What is Vale Tudo/MMA?

Vale Tudo is a Brazilian term meaning “anything goes”, and has come to represent the limited rules fighting events that started in Brazil in the early 1900′s. In the United States, these events have been turned into the legitimate sport we know today as Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA. MMA fights are an honorable means of combat where fighters are given the opportunity to evaluate themselves and their training methods under stress. Lightweight, fingerless gloves are worn, and there are weight classes and time limits like other combat sports.

Meant to test a fighter’s abilities in a realm that is as close to an all-out “street fight” as possible (without compromising the fighters’ safety), MMA fighters must be skilled in all ranges of unarmed combat. This includes striking techniques, grappling techniques while on their feet (to either achieve or prevent a takedown), and groundfighting skills.