The World Vale Tudo Championship
WVC XI had fighters from Russia, US, Brazil, Kazakhstan. Amar Suloev won the event on a dramatic final against Andre Semenov.
WVC XI, in Racife, Brazil and featured a tournament final between Russian power houses: Andrei Semenov (who went on to be a UFC star) and Amar Suloev (who died a short time later due to stomach cancer). Suloev won by way of a rear-naked choke in less than 2 minutes to win the WVC XI tournament belt. WVC XII witnessed the emergence of Moacir "Boca" Oliveria's prestigious MMA career as he took down the field of the 8-man tournament. The great Francisco Bueno won the Superfight and was awarded the belt by John Daly, the storied movie producer (whose films grossed over $1.
WVC III saw the introduction of “ground and pound” star Mark Kerr. Prior to WVC III, Brazilian jiu-jitsu (“BJJ”) fighters had always fought fighters of all sizes, but after that event in which famed a BJJ black belt star Fabio Gurgel fought an incredible battle for 30 minutes against someone 50 pounds heavier than Gurgel. The BJJ fighters realized that they could no longer give weight to their opponents. WVC III was also introduced into the market as a pay-per-view (“PPV”) to Brazilian television.
In WVC IV, Lapenda’s card hosted the biggest revenge bout between Brazilian Vale Tudo rivalry, Jose “Pele” Landi vs Jorge “Macaco” Patino.