1. Renzo Gracie vs. Eugenio Tadeu
In 1997 the Jiu Jitsu vs. Luta Livre was still in full swing. For those unaware, Luta Livre is a type of martial art that, like BJJ, evolved from Judo. Back in the 90s, as the Gracies were taking jiu-jitsu worldwide, many Luta Livre practitioners believed that their fighting style was still superior. This made Renzo’s fight against Luta Livre fighter Eugenio Tadeu that much more intense.
This fight would be Renzo’s final bareknuckled contest, and led to the ban on MMA in Rio De Janeiro for a time. The fight would ultimately be declared a no-contest as things outside the cage got more violent than inside. Most members of the audience were a supporter of one of the two fighting styles, and tensions were high. The audience made it closer to the cage until some of the camera operators could no longer film the action.
The fight was called off as fans tried to get at Renzo through the cage. Then they turned the lights out in the arena and the place turned into chaos.
