Extreme fighting or Brazilian -Vale Tudo- was acclaimed since Paulista revolution, today extends throughout the world. In an article of Time Magazine (1928) a wrestling match, held in the city of Sao Paulo between a <<giant black Bahian and a small dwarf Japanese>>, described how nipoonese finally emerged victorious, proving that a melee size is not necessarily determinative. The fight won by TKO or abandonment (giving three slaps on the ground or opponent's body) especially prosperous in circus attractions until 1960, when Joao Alberto Barreto broke the arm of his opponent during the televised show "˜Heroes of the ring', the bloody spectacle caused the immediate cancellation of the program. So -Vale Tudo- was relegated to a subculture, with fighting in small gyms or public places, almost always on the verge of illegality, concentrated in small ghettos in Rio de Janeiro powered by fighters of Ju-jitsu and -Luta livre-. In 1993 an American company organized the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) under the slogan <<anything goes>>, no weight limits and minimum rules, in order to prove which martial art is more effective. The boxing ring was changed as space combat for an octagonal cage open roof, which has been enshrined as a symbol of the organization.
Currently, MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) has major leagues around the world, include a more extensive regulation in order to prevent serious or permanent injuries to the fighters. It allows use of punches, kicks, holds and techniques from a variety of several disciplines as Karate, Boxing, Taekwondo, Muay thai, Judo, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Jiu Jitsu or Capoeira, among others. The origin of this modern mix of martial arts is difuse (roots coming from the ancient Olympics where one of the oldest documented systems of combat was the pankration) based on various competitions held in Europe, Japan and the United States during the early twentieth century.