Vale Tudo Japan

Vale Tudo Japan (VTJ) is an annual mixed martial arts competition held in Japan. 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, previously to this tournament, Shooto did not feature striking in ground position. 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 begin the older brother of UFC champion Royce Gracie, Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Rickson Gracie.[1][2] 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. VTJ returned in 2009, now organizing by the "Vale Tudo Japan Executive Committee" with semi-annual events and three reunion events in 2009, 2012 and 2016.[2][3]

Vale Tudo Japan
Native name
ヴァーリ・トゥード・ジャパン
IndustryMixed martial arts promotion
FoundedJapan (1994 (1994))
FounderSatoru Sayama
ParentShooto (1994-1999)
Vale Tudo Japan Executive Committee (2009-Present)
Websitehttp://www.valetudojapan.com/

Early Vale Tudo Japan events were a huge success, it led 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,[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.[4]

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.

Yuki Nakai fights Gerard Gordeau at Vale Tudo Japan 1995
Match Winner Loser Method Round Time
1 Bud Smith Chris Bass TKO (Straight Punch) 1 0:54
2 Jan Lomulder Kenji Kawaguchi KO (Punch) 1 3:59
3 David Levicki Kazuhiro Kusayanagi KO (Punches) 1 1:20
4 Rickson Gracie Yoshinori Nishi Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1 2:52
5 Rickson Gracie David Levicki Submission (Punches) 1 2:40
6 Naoki Sakurada Yasushi Warita Draw 3 5:00
7 Rickson Gracie Bud Smith Submission (Punches) 1 0:39

Vale Tudo Japan 1995

Vale Tudo Japan 1995 was held on April 20, 1995, at the Nippon Budokan Hall in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.

Match Winner Loser Method Round Time
1 Craig Pittman Wayne Emons Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) 1 2:12
2 Yuki Nakai Gerard Gordeau Submission (Heel Hook) 4 2:41
3 Todd Hays Koichiro Kimura Submission (Guillotine Choke) 1 2:55
4 Rickson Gracie Yoshihisa Yamamoto Technical Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 3 3:49
5 Yuki Nakai Craig Pittman Submission (Armbar) 2 7:32
6 Koichiro Kimura Wayne Emons Submission (Guillotine Choke) 1 6:05
7 Rickson Gracie Koichiro Kimura Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1 2:07
8 Kenji Kawaguchi Tommy Walkingstick Submission (Armbar) 1 6:29
9 Enson Inoue Rene Rooze Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1 6:41
10 Rickson Gracie Yuki Nakai Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1 6:22

Vale Tudo Japan 1996

Vale Tudo Japan 1996 was held on July 7, 1996, at the Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Urayasu, Japan.

Match Winner Loser Method Round Time
1 Alex Cook Tomoaki Hayama Technical Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) 2 6:23
2 Mushtaq Abdullah Sanae Kikuta Submission (Forearm Choke) 1 6:27
3 Yumiko Hotta Margot Neyhoft Submission (Keylock) 2 4:14
4 Ed de Kruijf Joe Estes Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 1 0:53
5 Todd Bjornethun Eric Lavigne KO (Punches) 1 6:53
6 Dan Severn Doug Murphy Submission (Keylock) 1 3:23
7 John Lewis Rumina Sato Draw 3 8:00
8 Igor Zinoviev Enson Inoue TKO (Punches) 1 0:44
9 Royler Gracie Noboru Asahi Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1 5:07

Vale Tudo Japan 1997

Vale Tudo Japan 1997 was held on November 29, 1997, at the Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Urayasu, Japan.

Match Winner Loser Method Round Time
1 Jutaro Nakao Steve Nelson Submission (Triangle Choke) 2 5:31
2 Hayato Sakurai Marcelo Aguiar Draw 3 8:00
3 Kenji Kawaguchi Jan Lomulder Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 3 3:49
4 João Roque Uchu Tatsumi Draw 3 8:00
5 Carlos Newton Erik Paulson Submission (Armbar) 1 0:41
6 Tom Erikson Ed de Kruijf TKO (Punches) 1 0:37
7 Rumina Sato John Lewis Submission (Armbar) 2 1:23
8 Frank Shamrock Enson Inoue DQ (Egan Inoue Ran Into the Ring) 2 7:17

Vale Tudo Japan 1998

Vale Tudo Japan 1998 was held on October 25, 1998, at the Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Urayasu, Japan.

Match Winner Loser Method Round Time
1 Caol Uno Ricardo Botelho Submission (Punches) 3 2:03
2 Vladimir Matyushenko Kenji Kawaguchi KO (Punches) 1 3:10
3 Branden Lee Hinkle Masanori Suda TKO (Upkicks) 1 5:26
4 Frank Trigg Jean Jacques Machado TKO (Corner Stoppage) 3 0:20
5 Noboru Asahi João Roque Draw 3 8:00
6 Hayato Sakurai Sergei Bytchkov Submission (Armbar) 1 4:59
7 Andre Pederneiras Rumina Sato KO (Soccer Kick and Punches) 1 4:20
8 Enson Inoue Randy Couture Submission (Armbar) 1 1:39

Vale Tudo Japan 1999

Vale Tudo Japan 1999 was held on December 11, 1999, at the Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Urayasu, Japan.

Match Winner Loser Method Round Time
1 Rumina Sato Rafael Cordeiro Submission (Kneebar) 1 0:58
2 Tetsuji Kato Angelo Sergio Submission (Punches) 1 7:45
3 Takanori Gomi Johnny Eduardo Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 3 1:43
4 Hisao Ikeda João Roque Draw 3 8:00
5 Uchu Tatsumi Alexandre Franca Nogueira Draw 3 8:00
6 Caol Uno Andre Pederneiras Draw 3 8:00
7 Hayato Sakurai Haroldo Bunn TKO (Punches) 3 1:31

Vale Tudo Japan 2009

Vale Tudo Japan 2009 was held on October 30, 2009, at the JCB Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

Match Winner Loser Method Round Time
1 Masato Sannai Kosuke Eda Draw (Majority) 2 5:00
2 Jung Min Kang Yoichiro Sato KO (Punches) 1 2:48
3 Mamoru Yamaguchi Jesse Taitano TKO (Punches) 1 4:41
4 Willamy Freire Kenichiro Togashi TKO (Doctor Stoppage) 1 2:05
5 Tito Jones Tenkei Oda Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
6 Rumina Sato Corey Grant TKO (Punches) 1 3:20
7 Takeshi Inoue Alexandre Franca Nogueira TKO (Punches) 4 2:58
8 Takanori Gomi Tony Hervey Decision (Unanimous) 5 5:00

Vale Tudo Japan 2012

Vale Tudo Japan 2012 (also known as VTJ 1st) was held on December 24, 2012, at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.

Match Winner Loser Method Round Time
Welterweight Daisuke Hoshino Kuntap Weerasakreck Submission (armbar) 1 2:19
Middleweight Keita Nakamura Nobutatsu Suzuki Submission (rear naked choke) 1 2:09
Bantamweight Kenji Osawa Takeshi Inoue Decision (unanimous) 3 5:00
Women's Strawweight Megumi Fujii Mei Yamaguchi Decision (unanimous) 2 5:00
Bantamweight Kyoji Horiguchi Ian Loveland Decision (unanimous) 3 5:00
Flyweight Darrell Montague Mamoru Yamaguchi Decision (split) 3 5:00
Lightweight Kuniyoshi Hironaka Carlo Prater Decision (unanimous) 3 5:00
Bantamweight Hideo Tokoro Rumina Sato TKO (punches and elbows) 1 0:39

Vale Tudo Japan 2013

Vale Tudo Japan 2013 (also known as VTJ 3rd) was held on December 6, 2013, at Ota City General Station, station #7, Ota, Tokyo, Japan. The Main Event featured longtime # 1 ranked Megumi Fujii in her retirement bout.

Match Winner Loser Method Round Time
Featherweight Taiyo Hayashi Yuji Kurogane TKO (punches) 2 2:18
Flyweight Seiichiro Ito Taku Kajikawa Submission (armbar) 1 1:35
Strawweight Ryuto Sawada Hiroyuki Takahashi Decision (unanimous) 3 5:00
Welterweight Koshi Matsumoto Kengo Ura Decision (unanimous) 3 5:00
Featherweight Akiyo Nishiura Shigeki Osawa Decision (split) 3 5:00
Bantamweight Yuta Nezu Motonobu Tezuka Decision (unanimous) 3 5:00
Lightweight Brodee Hudson Daisuke Hoshino Submission (flying triangle choke) 3 3:57
Featherweight Yuta Sasaki Geun Do Park Submission (rear naked choke) 1 1:36
Featherweight Yusuke Yachi Takeshi Inoue Decision (unanimous) 3 5:00
Flyweight Will Campuzano Hideo Tokoro Decision (split) 3 5:00
Featherweight Caol Uno Daniel Romero Submission (inverted triangle choke) 2 2:23
Women's Strawweight Jessica Aguilar Megumi Fujii TKO (doctor's stoppage) 2 5:00

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 12, 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. Sherdog.com. "The Resurrection of Vale Tudo Japan". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  3. "Vale Tudo Japan - VTJ (Vale Tudo Japan Executive Committee) | MMA Promoter". Tapology. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  4. "Archived Magazine Article". www.japaninc.com. 2006-11-08. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
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