(Gary Goodridge submits Augusto Menezes Santos with a reverse full-nelson at IVC 1, 7/6/97. Classic Big Daddy.)
Since our Throwback Thursday series is focusing on the ’90s this month, we decided to look back at an important (but mostly forgotten) promotion that was running no-holds-barred fights back then — the International Vale Tudo Championship.
Launched in Brazil in 1997, the IVC was like a grittier, nastier version of the UFC, featuring legal head-butts and groin-strikes, 30-minute marathon brawls, and a ring instead of a cage. It was old-school and ugly, just the way we liked it.
And now, through the magic of YouTube, it’s time to revisit those days. Here are 15 of our all-time favorite fights from the IVC’s first ten events, in loose chronological order. Enjoy.
(Dan Severn defeats Ebenezer Fontes Braga via doctor’s stoppage TKO at IVC 1.)
(Gary Goodridge submits Pedro Otavio via strikes in the IVC 1 final, after 16 minutes of creative groin abuse.)
(Wanderlei Silva KO’s Sean Bormet with a head-kick at IVC 2, 9/15/97.)
(Wanderlei Silva suffers a doctor’s stoppage TKO loss to Artur Mariano in the finals of IVC 2. Crazy, bloody fight.)
(Wallid Ismail submits Johil de Oliveira via punches at IVC 3, 12/10/97.)
(Mike Van Arsdale runs through Francisco Nonato, Marcelo Barbosa, and Dario Amorim at IVC 4, 2/7/98.)
(Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons submits Milton Bahia via punches in the finals of IVC 5, 4/26/98. Landi-Jons had already fought for over 21 minutes that night, scoring doctor’s stoppage TKOs against Gerald Taylor and Jorge Pereira.)
(Chuck Liddell‘s epic 30-minute battle against Landi-Jons at IVC 6, 8/23/98.)
(Wanderlei Silva knocks out Mike Van Arsdale at IVC 6.)
(Renato Sobral KO’s Fernando “Bosco” Cerchiari at IVC 8, 1/20/99.)
(Wanderlei Silva shreds Adrian Serrano in 22 seconds at IVC 9…)
(…and stomps Eugene Jackson in 32 seconds at IVC 10.)