Some writers seemed to think that the match was more like a comedy routine than a genuine fight. Columnist Jota Efege made fun of the match, deliberately exaggerating the weight difference. George, he said, weighed 42 kilos, Russell weighed 274 kilos. He described one of George’s chokes as a “gravata borboleta” [butterfly headlock]. The fight, he said, playing on George’s nickname “gato ruivo”, was more like a matador killing a mouse [rato] than a red cat.47
The August 2 encounter had been catch-as-catch-can match, with chokes. Catch is a sport in which weight is a very important factor, George explained. But as everyone knows (he continued) jiu-jitsu is the Japanese sport that was created to compensate for differences in size. He promised to enter the ring with his customary bravery and seek out and exploit the smallest mistake that Russell might make and hand him an unquestionable defeat. The paper sided with their compatriot. Russell would not be able to resist the jiu-jitsu knowledge of George Gracie, A Batalha predicted.48
The Federation was not sure Russell could handle a jiu-jitsu match. They required him to undergo a prova de sufficiencia. He breezed through it, choking his opponent out in two minutes with mathematical precision, leaving no doubts about his knowledge of jiu-jitsu, according to Federation director-technico Maurity de Freitas.
In the first match he had played with George, Russell said. He would not be so friendly next time, he ominously warned. Russell promised that even with a kimono, George would not last 10 minutes [“Gracie será ‘liquidado’ em dez minutos…com kimono eu esmagar elle em dez minutos”].49
The rematch took place at Estadio Brasil and was four rounds of 10 minutes each. It was a jiu-jitsu match and both men would wear kimonos. George weighed 68.5 kilos, Russell was 105.33 kilos.
Russell’s promise to crush George proved to be just hot air. Russell used his strength to resist George’s technical superiority but surprisingly could not mount any effective offense. Referee Maurity Freitas awarded the decision to George on points in view of Russell’s inferiority.50
Jiu-Jitsu sem Kimono
Two weeks after defeating Jack Russell by points, George took on another catch wrestler, Joe Campbell. Campbell was from England and like Russell was also a veteran of the Zbyszko troupe. Russell was not far away. He would be facing Schroll in a preliminary match.
George declared that he was in condition to beat Campbell.51 Not everyone believed him. A Batalha expected Campbell to win.52 In any case, the match “promised to be sensational” [“promette ser sensacional”].
The fight took place Tuesday August 23, 1938 at Estadio Brasil. It was four rounds of 15 minutes, without kimono.53 Campbell weighed 98 kilos, George weighed 69 kilos. The referee was Manoel Fernandes, who knew from painful personal experience the kind of punishment George Gracie was capable of inflicting.
The first round was monotonous. In the second round things began to get interesting. Gracie ended up winning when Campbell gave up due to the armlock that George administered in the first minute of the third round.54 The fight was apparently not particularly sensational after all, but at least George kept his promise to win.
Matinee
Every Sunday a matinee of catch was presented at Estadio Brasil at reduced prices, less than the cost of a movie.55 On Sunday August 28, Joe Campbell was sufficiently recovered from his battle with George Gracie three days before to lock horns with Conde Karol Nowina. George performed an exhibition with his student Camillo de Hollanda.56
Work
Takeo Yano and George Gracie seemed to see things eye to eye. Unlike many or most of the luta livre and catch fighters, they had genuine skills. But unlike Helio Gracie, they didn’t have a problem participating in pro wrestling of even the most blatant kind.
To put it another way, they understood the difference between fighting and entertainment. And also unlike Helio, they preferred making a living by pretending to fight rather than performing unskilled labor on construction sites, which was more dangerous and less glamorous than wrestling and paid less.57
In any event, Yano and George found in each other very compatible “opponents”. They fought nine times, if not more between 1935 and 1948. They became close personal friends as well.
Their fourth fight took place at Stadium Brasil September 1, 1938. George weighed 68.5 kilos, Yano weighed 70 kilos. It was a jiu-jitsu match of six 10-minute rounds. The referee was Maurity de Freitas. Also on the bill were two catch matchs: Jack Russell (103 kilos) versus Joe Campbell (96 kilos), and Adencoa of Spain (99 kilos) versus Cernadas of Argentina (101 kilos).
The fight was close [um combate renhido], but in the final round George Gracie managed to apply a chave de pé [footlock] on Yano, who was forced to give up.58
The next Yano versus George entry occurred on Saturday September 24 at Estadio Brasil. George weighed 69.8 kilos, Yano weighed 70 kilos. It was again a jiu-jitsu contest in six 10-minute rounds. George hoped to confirm his recent victory over Yano. Yano wanted to avenge his defeat. It was for the supremacy of jiu-jitsu in Brazil. Both were skilled [habeis], well-trained [em perfeita fórma], and aggressive [dotados de grande aggressividade]. The referee was Armando Jagle. Karol Nowina and Jack Russell would also be on hand disputing for the supremacy of “catch-as-catch-can”. 59
The match was big but there was bigger news that day. “HITLER MARCA O DIA DA INVASÃO!” the headlines screamed. The day set by Hitler for the invasion of Czechoslovakia was October 2.60 It turned out to be unnecessary to invade. Czechoslovakia’s allies, England and France, settled with Germany in the hope that Hitler would be satisfied with his acquisition of the Sudetenland portion of the country and that there would then be no repetition of the insane violence of the First World War.61
A major war in Europe would have potentially serious repercussions for Brazil. But it looked as though the problem had been solved. Cariocas could turn their attention to more local concerns.
The fight started promisingly for George and it seemed that he would, as he predicted, confirm his previous victory. He even out-threw Yano, 5 to 3, and 3 to 1, in rounds 1 and 2 respectively. But Yano surged back in the third round, out-throwing George 7 to 3, at which point the score was even. George faded in the final three rounds. Yano was in complete control, out-throwing George by 6 to 1 in the fourth round, 5 to 1 in the fifth round, and 8 to 1 in the last round.
Neither man gave up or was knocked out. The decision went to Yano owing to his clear superiority on stand-up.62
George did not explain why he did not keep the fight on the ground in keeping with the philosophy of his family. Perhaps he over-estimated his own stand-up skills. Or perhaps he took a longer term view of the rivalry with Yano. It was after all only one fight. There would be more.
George had his chance to take revenge on Yano less than two weeks later in Bello Horizonte, October 4, 1938. He failed. Yano won again. Bello Horizonte was a bit out of the way, and the pair were becoming over-exposed. Details were not reported.63
The Ono Brothers
Oninho and Benedicto Peres met again on Saturday October 15 at the gymnasium of the Associação Athletica São Paulo. The program included an extra dose of star power. Oninho’s brother Yassuiti would meet Antonio Oliveira in an eight round match (five minutes each with 2-minute breaks). Oninho versus Peres was actually the semi-final and was also eight 5-minute rounds. There were three other jiu-jitsu matches. Jose Roberto Macedo Soares met Jorge Weimesdorf. Zito Gomes encountered Manoel Correa. Nizaki confronted Braz Gomes. All were three-round matches.
Peres trained three months for the rematch in the hope of rehabilitating himself in the eyes of the Paulista public. He attributed his loss to nervousness. The enthusiasm of the fans made him lose his self-control and he took reckless chances. He wouldn’t repeat that error. He admired Oninho’s calmness under pressure, he mentioned. He claimed that his left arm had been damaged in training before the first fight and as a result he couldn’t put his game plan into effect. Peres also had the chance to train with Yassuiti Ono�
��s opponent Oliveri [Oliveira]. He felt that Oliveri had a good chance to win [boas probabilidades de vencer]. Oliveri was not a new face or pretender. Peres had personally watched him in action against Geo Omori at Pavilhão Queirolo in São Paulo in 1929. Oliveiri drew with the great champion. Yassuiti would not have a great advantage over Oliveiri, Peres concluded.64
Peres had one siginificant advantage over Oninho. He didn’t have to beat him to win the 3,000$ purse. He just had to avoid being beaten.65
The evening of fights, unlike too many others in the past, was a resounding success. The fans were satisfied with the fights, all of which were characterized by activity and aggression [movimentação e combativida]. The fans were especially satisfied with the Oninho versus Peres fight. The two fighters fell out of the ring no fewer than 10 times. Peres managed to avoid tapping out or losing his senses during the 8-round contest. As stipulated in the contract, he was thereby declared the winner.
It was one of the many fight results that were somewhat other than what they seemed. Peres won the fight, but he did not beat Oninho. Oninho in turn did not beat Peres. However, he lost the fight. He would have other chances to even the score.
The result of Yassuiti Ono versus Oliveiri however wasn’t ambiguous. Ono dominated Oliveira easily [impoz com facilidade a sua supremacia]. In the second round, Ono choked Oliveira out, thereby winning the 8,000$ prize money. Finally, Braz Gomes defeated Mazuke brilliantly.66
Tarzan
On October 27 Oninho fought three unidentified men at Circo Breman in Pinheiros and defeated them all. He was then challenged by the giant Luis “Tarzan” Fazio.67 A match was set up for the following Saturday October 29, also at Circo Breman.68 Results were not reported. Tarzan was a “strongman” pro wrestler with few or no skills, so it is more than possible that he lost. If so, it did not discourage him. He was back in the ring against George Gracie not long after.
Luta de Jiu-Jitsu
On October 19, 1938, Yano’s mastery of jiu-jitsu proved inadequate for dealing with the cowboy strength of catch wrestler Jack Russell in a “luta de jiu-jitsu” at Stadium Benedicto Valadares in Bello Horizonte. Five thousand fans watched. Yano and Russell both fell out of the ring at the end of round 4, but kept fighting. Ten civil guards intervened. Russell attacked all of them but was finally subdued. Russell won at the end of round 5 when he threw Yano out of the ring, leaving him too weak [desfalecido] to continue.69
No doubt Yano would seek to avenge his loss at the hands of the cowboy Yankee. He wouldn’t have to wait long.
Judgment Day
George Gracie and Renato Gardini had originally been scheduled to meet in 1934 (September 15). The fight was postponed. They finally met Saturday October 22, 1938 at Stadium Benedicto Valladare in Bello Horizante.
About 4,000 fans witnessed the five-round fight (of 10-minutes each). It was an exciting fight with many technical exchanges. Each man took the upper hand, only to lose it moments later. Both were thrown out of the ring numerous times. In the third round, George he applied a “lock” to Gardini’s right arm. The referee declared him to be the winner.70
Gardini rejected the referee’s decision, alleging that he hadn’t “tapped out” [não ter dado signal de desistencia]. The commission upheld the referee’s decision.71
Turning the Tables
Yano got his chance to turn the tables on the cowboy Yankee in an “encontro do jiu-jitsu” Wednesday November 9, at the stadium of the Feira de Amostras in Bello Horizonte. He had help. Russell promised to beat not just Yano, but George Gracie too, both on the same night, within a one-hour period, divided into six rounds.
George was up first. Despite throwing Russell various times with balões [shoulder throws], the fight ended in a draw. Perhaps Russell was tired by his match with George, because Yano choked him out in the first round, leaving him unconscious on the floor for almost two minutes.72
Death of Dudú
Two giants of the fight world departed in 1938. Geo Omori died in March. In November it was his old foe Dudú’s time.
Dudú died on November 4, 1938, at the age of 32, after a long illness. He had been bed-ridden for three months in Santa Casa de Misericordia (a charitably funded hospital in Rio dedicated to care for the poorest of the poor). In his obituary it was mentioned that his career took a nose-dive after his vale tudo debacle against young Helio Gracie, but he made a satisfactory come-back, up until his disqualification loss to Pedro Brasil in a national luta livre title match. Subsequently he traveled around the “interior” and fought a few times in Minas Gerais and São Paulo. His life spiraled downward [depois de uma serie de privacões] to the point where he finally eneded up in the Santa Casa. He was a friend of children and in a cruel irony of destiny, his greatest defeat was at the hands of a child [a sua mais frahgorosa derrota deante de uma criança] named Helio Gracie.73
Enter Eduardinho Gracie
In 1938 a future giant made his appearance in the press, a full page with three large pictures. He had been training jiu-jitsu for all of his seven years. His name was Eduardo Gracie. He already had competition experience under his belt, and with the techniques that his father, Carlos Gracie, had patiently taught him, he managed to defeat the other little kids, some of whom were older and bigger than him [este golpe seu pae Carlos Gracie ensinou-o pacientemente, Graças a elle Eduardo consegue derrotar outros meninos, maiores do que elle]. He applied his techniques with the serenity of a veteran [Eduardo Gracie applica seus golpes com a serenidade de um veterano dos rings].
Two pictures show him executing standing “ude-garami” shoulder locks. One picture depicts him lifting an “adversary” upside down, possibly to drop him on his back or head. The caption explains that “jiu-jitsu is the art of agility; force is not necessary” [O jiu-jitsu é a luta de agilidade. Não é preciso ter forca]. This may not have been the most apt picture to illustrate the lack of necessity of strength, but the first two served the purpose adequately.
Carlos explained that Eduardinho combined the calmness of George with the amazing agility of Helio “It’s necessary, isn’t it Eduardo?” Carlos asked him. The boy smiled and pounded his chest in a Tarzan gesture. “It is,” he said. “I’m also going to be a champion”.74
Eduardinho later became better known as Carlson.
.Chapter 18 Notes
Chapter 19
1939
At the end of January the Icarhy Praia Club presented a mixed program of ring sports to call attention to its new gymnasium. Fights were two amateur catch matches, one amateur jiu-jitsu match and one match between professionals, Rio champion Carlos Pereira (73 kilos) of the Gracie academy versus Maia (67 kilos), who was the coach of the Brazilian marines [technico do corpo do fuzileiros navaes]. There were also three boxing matches, the final featuring Ervin Klausner (92 kilos), retired from boxing and working as coach of the Rio special police [technico da Policia Especial do estado do Rio de Janeiro] versus Spanish champ Anadon (88 kilos).1 Klausner was versatile, or at least, was game for any form of combat sport that paid. He had fought luta livre with Geo Omori, and jiu-jitsu with Helio Gracie. Now, he seemed most comfortable in his base art of boxing. He still laced up the gloves from time time, even if only for an exhibition at a local sports club.
Giant and Giant-Killer
George Gracie had already bested Oninho twice. The first time was difficult and the second time was controversial. There was something problematic about the fact that Oninho was so small. George was the “giant killer,” but against Oninho, George was the giant. He did manage to descisively beat Oninho in the first match, but got manhandled in the process. If jiu-jitsu is the art by which the weak can defeat the strong, how to interpret the outcomes of the two Oninho matches? The stronger man won, but only with great effort and after demonstrating that he was unable to defend himself against the smaller man’s throws. What message did that send to potential students? George had a healthy ego. Maybe it bothered him psychologically. Or maybe it was just about the money. George
may have wanted to settle it for once and for all. In any case, he challenged Oninho to a third match. Oninho was a warrior. He accepted. Oninho was described as being undefeated [até então invicto] despite having twice lost to George and at least once to Benedicto Peres, at least according to the terms of the contract.2 That was odd, but not unusual.
The fight was held at the Cine Theatro in São Paulo Saturday February 4, 1939.
The main event was augmented with luta livre and jiu-jitsu matches. Luiz Tarzan Fazio (94 kilos) would face Benedicto “Mascarado Antonio” (92 kilos) in luta livre. Ser Nizaki (70 kilos) would confront Abter “Tigre” Pinto (93 kilos), and Braz Gomes (65 kilos) would encounter Victor Lacerva (68 kilos). The jiu-jitsu matches were five 5-minute rounds. In the main event George, weighing 70 kilos, would square off with Oninho, at 56 kilos. Their match was for ten 5-minute rounds with 2-minute breaks between rounds.3
In the preliminary events, Tarzan won by disqualification in the second round. Ser Nizaki and Walter (Abter Tigre) Pinto drew. Braz Gomes, representing the Ono Academy, had a confusing time preparing for his fight because his opponent kept changing.
On February 2, he was scheduled to fight Vincente Martins, from the Arthur Riquetti academy of jiu-jitsu. On February 3, his opponent was changed to Victor Lacerva. Vincente Martins and Victor Lacerva both weighed 68 kilos. They might have been the same person. Nevertheless, the opponent Braz Gomes faced on February 4, was Jorge Cavalheiro, also from the Riquetit [sic] academy. Whether they were different people or the same, it apparently didn’t matter to Braz Gomes. He choked his opponent, whoever he was, out in the fifth round.
The result of the George Gracie versus Oninho fight was not described in detail but the outcome told a familiar story. George won their first encounter in 1937. It took him 52 minutes to catch the small Japanese boy. George also won the second meeting, also in 1937, but as the result of a gift from the officials, many people believed.
Choque: The Untold Story of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil 1856-1949 (Volume 1) Page 35