Vale Tudo Relics: Absolute Fighting Championship 2

It warms the heart to see MMA treated as a legitimate sport, but it is worth remembering that the scene was far different two decades ago. In this edition of the Vale Tudo Relics series, I turn to another story from MMA’s Middle Ages, involving Roberto Traven and Leonardo Castello Branco, who set out for Russia in May 1997 with trainers Claudio Coelho and Fabio Gurgel. I was the final member of the Brazilian delegation, as I had been invited to cover the two-day Absolute Fighting Championship 2 event for Tatame, Kakutougi Tushin and Budo magazines.

Before the trip, Gurgel called Renzo Gracie to get details about Absolute Fighting Championship 1, which had been held in 1995. Gracie had…