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Ivan Simão da Cunha Gomes (December 25, 1939 - March 2, 1990) was a Brazilian vale tudo fighter and professional wrestler.
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> A influência de Sakujiro Yokoyama no Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and also learned under grappler José María Freire, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert from the George Gracie lineage. Gomes, who was a black belt under Braga at 21, also polished further his orthodox judo skills with Hayashi Kawamura in Recife and Masayoshi "Massaioshi" Saito in Belém do Pará. He started his vale tudo career shortly after.
After the fight, Carlson complained about the rules, driving Gomes to propose a rematch. The Gracie family promised to concede it if Gomes managed to defeat Juarez Ferreira in Rio de Janeiro, but although Gomes did so, knocking Ferreira out with kata guruma in less of a minute, the rematch was never granted. Instead, the Gracies offered Gomes to open an academy together with Carlson, with the condition Gomes would never challenge them again. In November 1965, due to the presence of Anton Geesink and several famous judoka in Brazil, the Gracies challenged them, claiming the superiority of Brazilian jiu-jitsu over judo and offering Gomes and Carlson to fight to prove it, but they were ignored.
However, the partnership with the Gracies dissolved shortly after. His brother José described the situation as:
In 1968, after handing the academy to his brother Jaildo, Gomes returned to Campina Grande and resumed his vale tudo career, meeting fighters like Valdemar Santana and Euclides Pereira. In 1974, he opened another school there to teach his style of BJJ.
During the bout, refereed by Teruo Takahashi, Gomes attacked Ruska with real strikes and illegal closed-fisted punches, which Ruska answered by landing a similar right punch, and the match became a shoot right after. The slightly heavier Brazilian dragged Ruska to the ground with a guillotine choke, but Ruska escaped and mounted him. After becoming entangled with the ring ropes, a bloody Gomes captured Ruska's back and tried a rear naked choke, to which Ruska grabbed the ropes to break action as per the match's rules. However, the Brazilian refused to release Ruska, so the referee, upon observing most of Gomes' body was outside the ropes, called for countout on him in order to end the match at 9:03.Keisuke Shibusawa, Gracie Jiu Jitsu no Itsusashu, 1995, Nihon Sports There was controversy about whether the choke and the rope escape were effective or not.Ken Yanagisawa, 1976 Antonio Inoki, 2007 Ivan Gomes, BJJ Heroes
The event's crowds believed Gomes had been wronged with the decision, and a riot almost broke out until NJPW president Antonio Inoki came out and calmed them down. Still, repercussion in Brazil was negative, with pundits arguing about who should be considered the victor, even although some acknowledged Gomes had started the affair with an illegal move. As a consequence, the Athletic Commission of Rio de Janeiro banned Takahashi and Ruska from all sport competitions.Shinji Ishii, Martial Arts Death Battle - The stormy story of the fools who wanted to be the strongest, Takarajimasha, 1994 The Japanese considered Ruska the winner, as Gomes had to receive nine stitches around the right eye for damage suffered in the brawl, while Ruska was comparatively in much better condition.Keishuke Shibusawa, Mat World Scandal, 2006 It was also reported Inoki secretly gifted Ruska a money bonus to compensate his ban from competing.
Gomes was left with two more matches in the tour, against Strong Kobayashi and Osamu Kido respectively, and he won them both. It was his last work for NJPW.Weekly Pro Wrestling, October 1976
Professional wrestling career
In December 1974, when Japanese professional wrestling promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling toured Brazil, Gomes publicly challenged its owner Antonio Inoki to a vale tudo fight. Inoki instead proposed Gomes to become a NJPW wrestler, and after the Brazilian became interested in the style of catch wrestling used by the Japanese troupe, he accepted the offer. Gomes traveled to Japan with them, training in wrestling under Inoki himself while teaching him and his wrestlers his own style in return. Prowrestling Album 2 - Antonio Inoki's Martial Arts World Finals, Baseball Magazine, October 1986 Gomes wrestled many opener matches against Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Don Arakawa and Daigoro Oshiho, always coming out on top.
Match with Willem Ruska
In 1976, during a NJPW tour through Brazil, Gomes was slated to wrestle judo medalist Willem Ruska on August 7 at the Maracanã Stadium. Previous negotiations about the match's results and length were troublesome, and as a result, there was tension between the parts.
Legacy and death
Ivan Gomes is known for being the innovator of the heel hook submission. After his return to Brazil from his professional wrestling stint, Gomes retired and became solely a teacher. He passed in March 1990 due to renal illness.
Categories: Brazilian Male Mixed Martial Artists, Mixed Martial Artists Utilizing Judo, Mixed Martial Artists Utilizing Boxing, Mixed Martial Artists Utilizing Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Brazilian Male Judoka, Brazilian Practitioners Of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Brazilian Male Professional Wrestlers, 1939 Births, 1990 Deaths, 20th-century Brazilian Sportsmen
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