In BJJ, we love a good rivalry from Buchecha vs. Rodolfo to Gordon Ryan vs. Andre Galvao. But do you know about the very first rivalry in the history of Jiu-Jitsu?
It’s a great story and helped shape the top BJJ affiliations from Gracie to the non-Gracie schools. Here is a quick rundown of Fadda vs. Gracie: the first rivalry in BJJ history.
Who was Oswaldo Fadda?
If you aren’t familiar with the history of Grandmaster Oswaldo Fadda, let me give you a quick rundown. Oswaldo Fadda was born in the northern Rio de Janeiro suburb of Bento Ribeiro.
When Fadda was seventeen, he began learning Jiu-Jitsu and Judo under fellow Grandmaster Luiz França, while training as a Brazilian Marine. Grandmaster França was a black belt under Mitsuyo Maeda, who trained alongside Carlos Gracie Sr. for a brief time.
Fadda was extremely passionate about Jiu-Jitsu and wanted to share it with everyone. While the Gracie family taught it in the upscale areas of Rio, Fadda taught in the poorer areas for free.
Grandmaster Fadda was happy to teach anyone who wanted to learn BJJ. During this time, the Gracie family really didn’t pay any mind to what Fadda was doing and kept their distance.
Fadda vs. Gracie: The Challenge
By 1955, Fadda had grown a large Jiu-Jitsu school of his own. He believed that his students would be formidable adversaries to the more known Gracie family.
Fadda put out an ad in Rio’s biggest newspaper laying down a challenge to the Gracie family.
“We wish to challenge the Gracies, we respect them as the formidable adversaries they are but we do not fear them. We have 20 pupils ready for the challenge.”- Oswaldo Fadda.
After reading the challenge posted in the paper, Hélio Gracie immediately accepted the challenge. The Fadda vs. Gracie challenge was then agreed to take place at the Gracie Academy.
Conflicting Reports of the Fadda vs Gracie Challenge
The Fadda vs Gracie challenge did take place in 1955. However, the results were disputed due to contradictory reports and alleged lies printed in newspapers.
One newspaper that may or may not have been influenced by the Gracie camp claims the Gracies won the challenge. This newspaper claimed 14 matches took place with 7 wins for the Gracies, 3 for Fadda, and 4 draws.
This result was actually refuted by Hélio’s brother Carlos Gracie Sr. A Carlos Gracie biography transcribed by his daughter Reila Gracie tells a different story of what went down.
According to what Carlos Sr. told Reila, Fadda’s team won the Fadda vs. Gracie challenge. What led to Fadda’s side winning was their knowledge of footlocks, which the Gracie side didn’t train as much at the time.
A Second Challenge
Another Fadda vs. Gracie match took place after the initial challenge. The two sides met again on the undercard of the Carlson Gracie vs. Valdemar Santana Vale Tudo fight.
This time when Fadda’s student went for a leg lock, Gracie’s students yelled “sapateiro!” to warn their teammate who was fighting. There was no controversy in this match as Fadda’s student won the match.
In an interview with the Revista do Esporte, Oswaldo stated: “We put an end to the Gracie taboo.”
The Source of Anti-Footlock Sentiment in BJJ?
If you’ve trained in BJJ for any sort of time, you’ve probably encountered an old-school practitioner who hates footlocks.
This anti-footlock sentiment can likely be traced back to the Fadda vs Gracie challenge. Many on the Gracie side dismissed footlocks as “grosseria” or a technique used by the “urbanos.”
The term urbanos is a derogatory term directed at Jiu-Jitsu practitioners who lived in less privileged areas of the city.
The Importance of This Challenge
Despite the mixed reports of the Fadda vs Gracie challenge, it was an important moment in BJJ history.
The Gracie clan went on to continue growing their brand as parts of the family branched off on their own. Different Gracie-based affiliations from Carlson Gracie, Gracie Barra, Rilion Gracie, and Relson Gracie would later form.
Students from Oswaldo Fadda’s school would train students who helped create the GFTeam and Nova União affiliations.
Both sides played an important role in the growth of the martial art. Even Hélio Gracie himself showed respect to Grandmaster Fadda.
In one interview, Grandmaster Hélio stated: “There needs to be a Fadda, to show that Jiu-Jitsu is not a privilege of the Gracies.”
Bobby is martial artist for almost 20 years with a BJJ black belt under Professor Sergio Miranda. He is also a karate black and former combat sports athlete, who loves all things grappling.