Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's rise to global dominance was fueled by its fearless approach to challenge matches. By taking on fighters from other styles, BJJ proved itself to be one of the most effective martial arts, winning far more battles than it lost.
However, one of its fiercest rivals back in Brazil was Luta Livre, a brutal and effective grappling system with roots in catch wrestling.
From today’s perspective, BJJ is the clear winner in terms of worldwide popularity, but the historical rivalry between these two styles was one of the most intense martial arts feuds ever.
BJJ Origins
BJJ’s story is legendary, largely due to the efforts of the Gracie family, who spread the art and refined it into what we know today.
It all began with Mitsuyo Maeda, a judo and jiu-jitsu master who traveled to Brazil and befriended Gastao Gracie, the father of Carlos and Helio Gracie. Maeda taught Carlos, who passed the knowledge to his younger brother Helio.
The Gracies were smaller in stature and focused on refining the ground game, shifting the focus away from the throw-centered approach of judo, instead emphasizing leverage and technique over strength. This made it possible for smaller fighters to defeat larger opponents.
The Gracies took on challenges from all comers, including Luta Livre, catch wrestling, judo, and striking-based styles. Through countless vale tudo (no-rules) fights, BJJ proved its effectiveness and grew in popularity.
The style’s big breakthrough came when the Gracies brought BJJ to America and showcased its dominance in the early days of the UFC, which was initially set precisely with this purpose in mind.
Royce Gracie, a seemingly unimposing fighter, won three of the first four UFC tournaments, forever cementing BJJ’s reputation as one of the most effective martial arts in the world.
Luta Livre Origins
Luta Livre, which translates to "free fighting" in Portuguese, evolved as Brazil’s answer to catch wrestling. The style was pioneered by Euclydes "Tatu" Hatem, an elite grappler who trained under famed wrestlers Orlando Americo da Silva and Rufino dos Santos.
Hatem was virtually unbeatable and remained undefeated in catch wrestling competitions from the 1930s to the 1950s and famously beat George Gracie in 1940 with a keylock (though the details of the fight remain disputed).
Unlike BJJ, which developed within wealthier circles, Luta Livre was the grappling style of the working class. It required no expensive gi, making it more accessible to lower-income fighters, many of whom lived in the favelas.
The style continued evolving under Euclides Pereira and Roberto Leitão, the latter being a university professor who applied biomechanical principles to Luta Livre.
Despite eventually being overshadowed by BJJ, Luta Livre produced many world-class fighters, including Marco Ruas, Pedro Rizzo, Renato Sobral, José Aldo, Darren Till, and Vicente Luque.
Differences Between BJJ and Luta Livre
Uniform And Accessibility
One of the clearest distinctions between the two styles is the gi. BJJ relies heavily on the kimono for control, grips, and submissions. Luta Livre, on the other hand, is a no-gi style—practitioners train in shorts and a t-shirt or topless, and more recently with rashguards.
Throughout the twentieth century, one significant difference between the two styles was their accessibility to various social classes.
The Gracie family was wealthy and influential, and their style was adopted mainly by the middle and upper classes.
This was reinforced by the requirement to wear a specific gi, which was expensive and out of reach for many people at the time.
On the other hand, Luta Livre required no special equipment and had a far lower entry fee. For a long time, it was thought that Luta Livre was for poor kids who couldn't afford a gi.
This division was further strengthened on racial grounds, as BJJ was practiced by the light-skinned, while Luta Livre remained for the favelas residing darker-skinned Brazilians.
This class segregation was perhaps the main fuel for the fierce rivalry between the styles, much more than their technical and methodical differences.
Luta Livre Has Striking
Luta Livre incorporates striking, making it more of a complete fighting system. While Gracie Jiu-Jitsu includes some fundamental strikes, BJJ is primarily a grappling-first style.
Luta Livre has deep ties to Muay Thai and developed a far more aggressive stand-up game.
Even on the ground, the two styles differ. BJJ practitioners focus on securing position before going for a submission, while Luta Livre fighters frequently strike from dominant positions to force openings.
Philosophy and Approach
Because of its catch wrestling roots, Luta Livre emphasizes a fast and aggressive approach. Fighters look for quick submissions or use ground-and-pound to force opponents into a bad position.
BJJ follows a more methodical philosophy: "position before submission." Practitioners aim to control their opponent, advance through the positional hierarchy (guard → side control → mount → back), and then finish with a submission.
Submissions and Ground Techniques
BJJ and Luta Livre share many submissions, such as the armbar, guillotine, rear naked choke, and arm locks. What does not cross over are gi techniques unique to jiu-jitsu.
But Luta Livre has an advantage on another front: leg locks. Leg locks have long been a staple of the discipline due to its catch wrestling roots, while BJJ purists have traditionally frowned on their use, considering them unsophisticated, cheating or dirty moves.
The situation hasn't changed too much today. Gi jiu-jitsu under the IBJJF and most other major organizations still doesn't allow using many leg locks even at the black belt level, while no-gi has heartily embraced leg locks and they have become a key part of the game.
Modern Equipment
One of the most defining aspects of traditional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the gi, a reinforced kimono-style uniform that allows for extensive grip fighting. The gi is used for control, chokes, sweeps, and submissions that rely on gripping the fabric.
Over time, as no-gi BJJ became more refined, it adopted attire that closely resembled what Luta Livre practitioners had worn all along: rash guards and grappling shorts.
These have become the gold standard for both no-gi BJJ and Luta Livre-style grappling, and for good reason.
Why Rash Guards Are Superior for No-Gi Training:
- Wicking Sweat and Hygiene – BJJ rash guards are designed to absorb sweat and reduce skin-to-skin contact, minimizing the spread of bacteria and skin infections like ringworm and staph—common issues in grappling-heavy gyms.
- Preventing Mat Burns – The slick, tight-fitting material of a rash guard reduces friction, preventing painful mat burns on the skin, which are common when rolling shirtless or in loose t-shirts.
- Compression Benefits – The compression effect of rash guards helps with muscle support and recovery, reducing fatigue during long training sessions.
- Grip Reduction – Unlike t-shirts, which can be easily grabbed and stretched on accident, rash guards provide no easy handles for an opponent, making them the perfect attire for fast-paced, gripless grappling.
BJJ shorts with no pockets or zippers are also essential, ensuring that nothing gets caught or injured during scrambles. Some fighters even opt for spats (compression leggings) for additional protection against friction and to regulate body temperature.
The Historical Rivalry Between Luta Livre and BJJ
There is no disputing that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Luta Livre have influenced each other from their inception, given that they were established at the same time and in the same area of Brazil.
As previously said, jiu-jitsu was practiced by upper-class Brazilians and seen as an elitist discipline, while Luta Livre was extremely popular in the favelas.
Given that both are highly efficient styles that emerged via victories over other styles, the clash between the two was inevitable.
The first meeting between the two styles was between Geroge Gracie and Euclydes Hatem, which Tatu won. But real enmity began in the 1980s.
The story goes that in 1982, a tae kwon do/Thai boxer named Mario Duma fought over a girl with the young Charles Gracie at the carnival celebrations, and Gracie got beaten badly.
Because he was still a kid, whereas Duma was an adult, Charles' uncle Rolls became enraged and attacked the Naja kickboxing academy owned by my Muay Thai pioneer in Brazil, Flavio Molina.
To settle the feud between the academies, a vale tudo event was held, featuring three battles pitting a jiu-jitsu representative against a Naja academy fighter.
The result was not as one might expect since the Naja fighters also trained with Marco Ruas, who was an accomplished Naja striker but also had a wealth of experience grappling in Luta Livre. He helped his teammates to prepare for the grappling exchanges.
The result did little to settle the dispute- with one finish per faction and a draw between Ruas and Pinduka, nothing was proven, aside from the fact that both schools can fight.
A few years later, when Rickson Gracie and Hugo Duarte got into a fight, the animosity between BJJ and Luta Livre reached new heights. The two guys were meant to fight officially, but Duarte supposedly pulled out because he needed months to prepare.
Rickson had already decided to fly outside of Brazil to teach BJJ in the United States and had no intention of waiting for Duarte.
Rickson learned Duarte was a frequent visitor to a local beach and confronted him there. During the scuffle, Rickson mounted Duarte and ground and pounded him badly.
The clash left a big dent on the Luta Livre reputation, because it was not a close contest like other previous meeting between the two styles, but a one sided beatdown.
The humbling beating left Duarte with a deeply battered ego. In 1988, he organized a big group of his students to assault the local Gracie Academy.
According to eyewitnesses, Duarte's group attacked the academy with guns, knives, and other weapons.
Fortunately, Helio Gracie was present and was able to calm the situation down and come up with a safer alternative. To settle their issues, Duarte and Rickson decided to fight in the parking lot. Rickson triumphed once more, and Duarte finally acknowledged defeat.
In 1991, another Vale Tudo tournament had three BJJ fighters competing against three Luta Livre combatants. This time, all three BJJ competitors won their battles, which further boosted the style's popularity in Brazil.
The rivalry resurfaced and exploded into the mainstream when Renzo Gracie met Eugenio Tadeu in another BJJ vs. Luta Livre fight.
Renzo complained about being kicked by spectators throughout the fight, and when he retaliated, a riot ensued, wrecking the venue and leaving several people injured.
The story made international news, causing the Brazilian government to step in and urge both sides to resolve their conflict or face criminal prosecution.
This effectively terminated one of the most heated rivalries in martial arts history and put a stop to Vale Tudo competitions in Brazil for many years.
How No-Gi BJJ Resembles Luta Livre Today
While traditional gi-based BJJ remains distinct from Luta Livre, the evolution of no-gi submission grappling has blurred the lines between them.
With organizations like ADCC and the rise of professional submission grappling tournaments, BJJ has increasingly embraced the leg lock game, initially a hallmark of Luta Livre.
Fighters like Gordon Ryan, Craig Jones, and Garry Tonon have revolutionized no-gi grappling by specializing in heel hooks and other techniques that were once considered "dirty" in traditional BJJ circles.
Additionally, wrestling has become more important in modern no-gi competitions, with BJJ athletes incorporating takedown strategies that were once more common in Luta Livre.
In many ways, the modern no-gi BJJ competitor looks more like an old-school Luta Livre competitor (minus the striking) than a traditional BJJ black belt in a gi.
Summary
BJJ undeniably won the war in terms of popularity, with Luta Livre fading into relative obscurity. However, its influence still lingers, especially in no-gi grappling and modern MMA.
The irony? Today’s top no-gi BJJ competitors look a lot like Luta Livre fighters of the past.
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