Ivan Gomes
“The Samurai”
Source: bjjheroes.comA Paraíba ranch boy who held Carlson Gracie to a draw in 1963, partnered with the Gracies in Rio, and later fought in Japan at Antonio Inoki's invitation.
Biography
Sources for this profile
BJJ Heroes, "Ivan Gomes" (fighter profile), undated.(opens in a new tab)
Ivan Gomes was born on 25 December 1939 in the Campina Grande area of Paraíba, Brazil; BJJ Heroes places his birth at Fazenda das Lajes, a ranch near the town.
Where in the source: Biography section, first paragraph — "Fazenda das Lajes"
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Gomes was born and raised in Paraíba in north-eastern Brazil, South America.
Where in the source: Biography section, first paragraph (birthplace in the state of Paraíba)
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His full name was Ivan Simão da Cunha; according to BJJ Heroes he took the surname Gomes, his mother's maiden name, in her honour.
Where in the source: Summary box, Full Name and Nickname fields
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His father worked as a cowboy on the ranch and Ivan was expected to follow him, but in 1954 he met a martial arts coach known as Tatá, who introduced him to fighting.
Where in the source: Biography section, first paragraph — "Tatá"
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Tatá, who had taught boxing in Rio de Janeiro before moving to the Northeast, trained Ivan and his brothers in weight training, boxing and some basic jiu-jitsu.
Where in the source: Biography section, second paragraph (coach Tatá's training regime)
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Gomes also trained under José Maria Freire (Zé Maria), a former student of Nilo Veloso, who had himself studied under George Gracie.
Where in the source: Biography section, fourth paragraph — "Nilo Veloso"
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BJJ Heroes gives his lineage as Takeo Yano, then Osmar Mouzinho, then Agatangelo Braga, then Ivan Gomes.
Where in the source: Summary box, Lineage field
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He was known for striking, especially kicks, and above all for top-position grappling, and he sharpened his throws training with judoka Hayashi Kawamura in Recife and Massaioshi Saito in Belém do Pará.
Where in the source: Biography section, fifth paragraph — "Hayashi Kawamura"
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In the late 1950s and early 1960s he fought on Ringues Torres, a vale tudo show sponsored by the Torres shirt company and broadcast on Mondays by TV Jornal do Comércio in Recife, and dominated its roster.
Where in the source: Biography section, sixth paragraph — "Ringues Torres"
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The fight with Carlson Gracie took place on 28 December 1963 at the Sesc pavilion in Recife and ended in a draw; Carlson later described it as the toughest fight of his career.
Where in the source: Main Achievements footnote and Biography, seventh paragraph — "toughest fight"
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On 6 November 1965, while the world judo championships were held in Rio de Janeiro, Hélio Gracie publicly challenged the judoka, including Anton Geesink, to face his two jiu-jitsu champions Carlson Gracie and Ivan Gomes; no one accepted.
Where in the source: Biography, paragraph on the 1965 challenge — "Anton Geesink"
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- Conflicting accounts
BJJ Heroes' profile says Gomes stayed in Rio de Janeiro until 1968, handing the gym to his younger brother before returning to the Northeast, where he kept fighting and winning.
Where in the source: Biography, paragraph on the partnership with Carlson and the following paragraph
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BJJ Heroes lists among his main achievements vale tudo wins over Waldemar Santana (1972) and Euclides Pereira (1973) and the draw with Carlson Gracie (1963).
Where in the source: Summary box, Main Achievements list
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BJJ Heroes says Gomes' road to Japan began with a challenge to Antonio Inoki; Inoki proposed Karl Gotch as the opponent instead, the fight never happened, and Inoki invited Gomes to his academy in Japan, where he fought, taught and learned other styles such as sumo.
Where in the source: Biography, paragraph on Inoki — "Karl Gotch"
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- Conflicting accounts
According to José Gomes, interviewed by BJJ Heroes in March 2016, the rules required a submission to be released if the defender reached the ropes; Ivan locked a rear naked choke on Ruska, it was unclear whether Ruska had touched the ropes, and in the end Ivan's hand was raised. BJJ Heroes dates this fight to 1972.
Where in the source: Biography, paragraph on Ruska — "13/03/2016"
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BJJ Heroes says many, Carlson Gracie among them, name Gomes as the first Brazilian versed in heel hook submissions.
Where in the source: Opening paragraph — "heel hooks"
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His favourite technique was the kata guruma (fireman's carry); he fought when there were no weight divisions, only open weight.
Where in the source: Summary box, Favourite Technique and Weight Division fields
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Gomes died on 2 March 1990, aged 50, of kidney failure.
Where in the source: Biography, final paragraph — "renal failure"
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Some called Gomes "The Samurai" after his time in Japan.
Where in the source: Summary box, Nickname field
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Portal do Vale Tudo (Baú do Alonso), "Ivan Gomes: 81 anos do lutador imbatível", 24 December 2020.(opens in a new tab)
Portal do Vale Tudo gives his birth name as Ivan Simão da Cunha, born 25 December 1939 in the Boa Vista district of Campina Grande, the son of Simão Pompeu and Dina Gomes in a family of eight children.
Where in the source: Section O INICIO NA LUTA, first paragraph — "Simão Pompeu"
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Portal do Vale Tudo reports that Gomes had his first fight at 19 on the stage of Rádio Borborema, finishing his opponent in the third round, and that by 22 he had 27 fights with 21 wins and 6 draws.
Where in the source: Section O INICIO NA LUTA — "Rádio Borborema"; "27 lutas"
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Coverage in south-eastern outlets such as Revista do Esporte let Gomes challenge Carlson Gracie publicly, boasting he would crush the Gracies' reputation with one arm; Carlson answered that Gomes would not get past the second round.
Where in the source: Section IVAN GOMES x CARLSON GRACIE, first paragraph — "esmago com um braço"
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José Gomes recalled that Ivan threw Carlson repeatedly, once out of the ring, and that a Carlson jab to the chin nearly knocked Ivan out; Carlson said the draw was fair and that Ivan was the toughest opponent of his 19 vale tudo fights.
Where in the source: Section IVAN GOMES x CARLSON GRACIE, second paragraph — "19 lutas"
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Portal do Vale Tudo says Carlson invited Gomes into the Gracie Academy, where he trained under Hélio Gracie; with the backing of Júlio Secco he and Carlson opened a joint academy in Copacabana that reached 300 students, and Secco said Gomes refused large sums to challenge Carlson out of friendship.
Where in the source: Section IVAN GOMES x CARLSON GRACIE, final paragraphs — "Júlio Secco"; "300 alunos"
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- Conflicting accounts
Portal do Vale Tudo says Gomes challenged the Japanese troupe in Curitiba, after which Inoki invited him to join New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he spent eleven months, from 16 March 1975 to 20 January 1976, and was unbeaten in 85 bouts.
Where in the source: Section MUITO ANTES DO PRIDE — "onze meses"
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After returning from Japan Gomes fought three times in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Brasília, and then ended his ring career.
Where in the source: Section MUITO ANTES DO PRIDE, second paragraph — "três lutas"
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Portal do Vale Tudo describes Gomes, a Brazilian from Paraíba, as the first Brazilian fighting idol in Japan, long before Pride.
Where in the source: Photo gallery captions — "primeiro ídolo brasileiro"
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BJJ Heroes, "Ivan Gomes: The Man The Gracies Didn't Want To Fight" (editorial based on 2016 interviews with José Gomes).(opens in a new tab)
Ivan was the eldest of three fighting brothers, Ivan, José and Jaildo Gomes, who became prominent jiu-jitsu and vale tudo figures in north-eastern Brazil in the 1960s.
Where in the source: Opening paragraphs — "eldest"
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According to his brother José, the brothers' first contact with a jiu-jitsu black belt was Zé Maria, who came to Paraíba in 1957 and stayed about a year; he was followed by Agatangelo Braga, brother-in-law of Osmar "Biuson" Mouzinho, both trained under Takeo Yano.
Where in the source: First quoted passage from José Gomes — "Zé Maria"
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José Gomes recalled that Zé Maria was a technical ground teacher of the Kodokan style, while Braga was more of a fighter and vale tudo enthusiast who saw great potential in Ivan and gave him his black belt in 1960.
Where in the source: End of the first José Gomes quote — "black belt in 1960"
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In 1960 Ivan and José moved to Recife to rejoin Zé Maria, whose gym had more than 30 black belts; a new television show on Channel 2, Bolsa ao Vencedor, then gave vale tudo fighters prize money over bouts of four two-minute rounds.
Where in the source: Section NHB FIGHTING IN 1960s BRAZIL — "Bolsa ao Vencedor"
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Ivan stayed unbeaten on Bolsa ao Vencedor and became its biggest name, but struggled to live on fight purses alone and left Zé Maria in 1961 to open his own gym.
Where in the source: Same section, final paragraph — "remained undefeated"
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When José, newly returned to training, tapped to a guillotine from Francisco Sá, Ivan scolded him for letting a black belt tap to that choke; José understood that the rebuke was his promotion to black belt, given in Ivan's way without ceremony.
Where in the source: Section IVAN GOMES' WAY — "no ceremonies"
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In 1964 Gomes went to Rio de Janeiro to fight Juarez Ferreira on the promise of a rematch with Carlson; he knocked Ferreira out with a kata guruma throw in under a minute, but instead of the rematch he was offered a partnership with the Gracies.
Where in the source: Section GOMES – GRACIE PARTNERSHIP — "Juarez Ferreira"
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José Gomes rejects the common story that Ivan went to Rio to learn from the Gracies, saying Ivan taught them more than he learned and that the brothers' knowledge came from Japanese teachers such as Takeo Yano, Geo Omori and the Ono brothers.
Where in the source: Section GOMES – GRACIE PARTNERSHIP, José Gomes quote — "taught them"
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Carlson and Ivan opened an academy together but Carlson soon left it in Ivan's hands; José Gomes described the arrangement as a payment for Ivan agreeing not to fight the Gracies and said Ivan signed a notarised document to that effect, which José says he still holds.
Where in the source: Section GOMES – GRACIE PARTNERSHIP, second José Gomes quote — "notary's office"
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In the late 1960s Gomes returned from Rio de Janeiro to the Northeast, leaving his younger brother Jaildo in charge of the Rio academy.
Where in the source: Section GOMES – GRACIE PARTNERSHIP, closing paragraphs — "until 1967"
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Jaildo Gomes later taught Romero "Jacaré" Cavalcanti at his school.
Where in the source: Section GOMES – GRACIE PARTNERSHIP, closing paragraph — "Jacare"
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Graciemag, "Ivan Gomes" (Panteão do BJJ page), undated.(opens in a new tab)
Gomes fought Carlson Gracie at the Sesc in Recife on 28 December 1963; the bout ended in a draw, and Carlson later called it the hardest fight of his life.
Where in the source: Main text, fourth paragraph — "28 de dezembro de 1963"
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In 1972 Gomes beat the veteran Waldemar Santana in Manaus.
Where in the source: Main text, fifth paragraph — "Manaus"
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Skilled in takedowns and heel locks, Gomes lived in Japan from 1975, training and working with the wrestler and later senator Antonio Inoki.
Where in the source: Main text, seventh paragraph — "a partir de 1975"
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- Conflicting accounts
Graciemag reports that in August 1976 at the Maracanãzinho Gomes faced Willem "Wim" Ruska, the Dutch 1972 Olympic judo champion; with both fighters tangled in the ropes Gomes locked a choke, but the referee ruled the move illegal and disqualified him, to jeers from the Rio crowd.
Where in the source: Main text, sixth paragraph — "Maracanãzinho"; "desclassificou"
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Gomes retired from fighting in 1977, had a street in Campina Grande named after him, and went back to the ranch life of his childhood in Paraíba.
Where in the source: Main text, final paragraph — "Aposentou-se em 1977"; "nome de rua"
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Cordeiro's biography gives Gomes an unofficial record of about 500 wins over 16 years as a martial artist.
Where in the source: Main text, second paragraph — "500 vitórias"
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Marcelo Alonso, "Another Chapter Closes in an Enduring Legacy", Sherdog (MMA Roots series).(opens in a new tab)
Carlson Gracie recalled that he knew only that Gomes had learned from his uncle George and won a few fights, and judging by Gomes' listed 1.72 m and 98 kg expected him to be out of shape, but when Gomes removed his robe he looked like the Hulk.
Where in the source: Section HIS TOUGHEST OPPONENTS, Carlson quote — "Hulk"
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In their Recife bout of 28 December 1963 Gomes outweighed Carlson by almost 50 pounds, took him down eight times and spent most of his energy striking from inside the guard; in the last round Carlson landed a hard jab on Gomes' chin, Gomes recovered, and with no finish the referees declared a draw.
Where in the source: Section HIS TOUGHEST OPPONENTS — "eight times"
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Carlson and Gomes became close friends; three months after their fight Gomes travelled to Rio de Janeiro, went into partnership with Carlson and opened an academy in Copacabana.
Where in the source: Section HIS TOUGHEST OPPONENTS, end of Gomes passage — "Copacabana"
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Retalhos Históricos de Campina Grande (local history blog), "Memória Esportiva: O Lendário Ivan Gomes", April 2010.(opens in a new tab)
The challenge appeared in Revista do Esporte, issue of 6 November 1965, where Hélio Gracie said he had Ivan Gomes and Carlson Gracie ready to test the Gracie Academy's jiu-jitsu against the world's best judoka.
Where in the source: Paragraph beginning with the magazine reference — "Revista do Esporte"
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His Campina Grande academy opened in 1974 on Rua Venâncio Neiva, and he trained many black belts who went on to teach what became known as the Ivan Gomes system.
Where in the source: Paragraph on the academy — "Rua Venâncio Neiva"
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He left fighting in 1977 and returned to his father's roots, taking up vaquejada, the north-eastern Brazilian rodeo sport, and winning titles in it; a street in Campina Grande bears his name.
Where in the source: Paragraphs on retirement and death — "Vaquejada"
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He was born on Christmas Day 1939 at Fazenda Lajes in the municipality of Campina Grande and died in Campina Grande on 2 March 1990, aged 50, from kidney complications.
Where in the source: Opening paragraphs and paragraph on his death — "complicações renais"
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Jornal da Paraíba, "Ivan Gomes ganha biografia", 27 November 2013.(opens in a new tab)
In 1974 Gomes opened a fighting academy in Campina Grande; his biographer Cléa Cordeiro says he used fighting to teach self-defence and self-confidence and even taught a blind student.
Where in the source: Section INCLUSÃO SOCIAL — "1974"; "aluno cego"
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Black belts today call his way of fighting the Ivan Gomes System, and in Recife the Federação Pernambucana de Jiu-Jitsu Tradicional Estilo Ivan Gomes is led by his brother José Gomes.
Where in the source: Paragraphs after the Japan passage — "Sistema Ivan Gomes"
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Teacher Cléa Cordeiro, who was engaged to Gomes and followed his life and career for 25 years, wrote the biography "Ivan Gomes: a História de um Lutador Imbatível", launched in Campina Grande on 27 November 2013; she said the book had been his own request.
Where in the source: Opening paragraphs — "noiva de Ivan"; "pedido dele"
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