The Team: Part 1. Chute Boxe Academy

When you're in the ring, fighting is a one-on-one competition. If you want to become truly strong, though, you can't with your own strength alone. The support of the fans and support from corner men, trainers and friends become an important source of strength. In short, the team is very important. In this series, PRIDE Fighting Championship puts the spotlight on the "team" and tries to find out the secret behind true strength. In this edition, we speak to Chute Boxe Academy leader Rudimar Fedrigo, the man who created such famous fighters as Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

PRIDE: What was the reason for creating the Chute Boxe Academy?
Rudimar: I was in a car accident when I was just 12 or 13 and I broke my leg. I wanted to strengthen that leg so I began muay thai training as a form of rehabilitation. I became very serious about muay thai after that and decided to create my own academy. At the time, I was only teaching muay thai but we began teaching (Brazilian) jujitsu in the 90's and after that, mixed martial arts.

PRIDE: When did you officially establish the Academy?
Rudimar: Almost 30 years ago. I was still very young at that time and I was blessed with coaches and students. [Note: The Chute Boxe Academy was established in 1979 when Fedrigo was just 17 years old!

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