Frederico Lapenda

Who is Frederico Lapenda?

Frederico Lapenda is a Brazilian-born fight promoter and movie producer who is one of the pioneers of the sport of vale tudo and mixed martial arts and is widely credited, along with Ultimate Fighting Championship creator Art Davie, as being responsible for creating the worldwide MMA movement.

The beginning of vale tudo fighting, later to become known as mixed martial arts or MMA, can be credited to Helio Gracie and Carlos Gracie in Rio de Janeiro, in the early 1900s where Helio took on all comers regardless of time limit, weight or style. In 1993 the sport moved to the US and focused on jiu-jitsu stylists fighting champions of other specific styles such as karate, kickboxing, and judo when Art Davie created the UFC in 1993.