The country of Brazil gave us BJJ – a martial art that put ultimate fighting on the map. From the time the Gracies gave BJJ to the world, their country has been on the map for producing some of the best fighters in world. Over the years, Brazil has become a top destination for not just BJJ, but fighting as a whole. It’s no surprise that the UFC has full of talent from Brazil. Hence, it’s not unusual to believe that there might be some world-class gyms as well. Former champion, Charles Oliveira, who makes his return at UFC 309, also happens to train at one of the top gyms in Brazil, named Chute Boxe.

Being one of the oldest MMA gyms in the world, a number of UFC fighters who still compete in the promotion across different weight classes train at Chute Boxe. So let’s not waste much time and take a deep dive into the rich history of the Brazilian MMA gym.

When was Chute Boxe founded? Complete backstory

Chute Boxe was founded in 1978 in the homecity of some of Brazil’s biggest MMA legends, i.e., Curitiba, Paraná in Souther Brazil. Taekwondo black belt Nelio Naja got acquainted with Muay Thai, and with the help of one of his students, Rudimar Fedrigo, opened the academy to initially teach the Thai martial art. In time, Chute Boxe popularized its own blend of Muay Thai, developed by Naja’s students who belong to several martial arts backgrounds, including Kyokushin Karate among many more.

It wasn’t until the 1990s when Chute Boxe decided to introduce the most export of the nation Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, at the suggestion of Rudimar Fedrigo. That, in turn, made the Curitiba gym a hub for Vale Tudo competitors. After immense success in Vale Tudo, Chute Boxe quickly turned their attention to mixed martial arts, which was booming in the Japanese market back then.

While Charles Oliveira is the most notable name from Chute Boxe in the current era, several MMA legends from the gym paved the way for Chute Boxe to cement itself as one of the more legitimate gyms in the mixed martial arts landscape. Not just fighters, but Chute Boxe created world champions across various promotions.

Who has trained at the legendary Chute Boxe Academy?

One of the biggest legends who trained at Chute Boxe is Wanderlei Silva, who, after representing his academy in Vale Tudo successfully, jumped into the MMA scene to absolutely dominate his opponents. Silva, in his 22-year MMA career, fought a total of 51 times across various promotions worldwide, registering a 35-13-1 (1 NC) record, and became a UFC Hall of Famer. Another Hall of Famer emerging from Chute Box also included ‘The Spider’ Anderson Silva, who’s arguably the greatest Brazilian MMA fighter of all time.

On the other side, we have brothers Murilo and Mauricio Rua, who were also world champions across several promotions, with ‘Shogun’ winning the UFC light heavyweight title in 2010. Mike Tyson‘s coach, Rafael Cordeiro also hails from Chute Box, and went on to form his own successful academy in Kings MMA.  One of the few aforementioned legends from Chute Boxe still competing in MMA, is Thiago Silva. Another fighter from Currently, in the UFC, besides Charles Oliveira, the Curitiba gym is also home to UFC stars like the undefeated Ian Garry.

With Charles Oliveira taking on Michael Chandler this weekend at UFC 309, ‘do Bronx’ has yet another opportunity to represent his famed gym under the UFC’s bright lights. Will Oliveira do Chute Boxe proud once again? Let us know in the comments below.