Luta Livre was created in the mid 20th Century in Rio de Janeiro. The founders of Luta Livre system was Euclydes Hatem (Tatu). He is considered one of the greatest Brazilian fighters of all time
Alexandre Franca "Pequeno" Nogueira
(b. 1978), a Luta Livre fighter from Brazil, is the former Lightweight (143 lb.) champion of Shooto, a Japanese mixed martial arts organization