Euclydes Hatem (; September 16, 1914 – September 26, 1984), known as
Mestre
Mestre () is a borough of the ''comune'' (municipality) of Venice, on the mainland opposite the historical island city in the region of Veneto, Italy.
Administratively, Mestre forms (together with the nearby Carpenedo) the ''Municipalità di ...
Tatu (), was a Brazilian catch wrestler, known for being the founder of the
martial art
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...
of
Luta Livre
Luta Livre (, lit. ''freestyle fighting''), known in Brazil as Luta Livre Brasileira (lit. ''Brazilian freestyle fighting'') or Luta Livre Submission, and also Brazilian Submission Wrestling, is a Brazilian martial arts and combat sport created ...
rower
Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is ...
, Hatem started learning
catch wrestling
Catch wrestling (originally catch-as-catch-can) is a classical hybrid grappling style and combat sport. It was developed by J. G. Chambers in Britain . It was popularised by wrestlers of travelling funfairs who developed their own submission h ...
at the Associação de Cristã de Moços in Rio de Janeiro. From his childhood he received the nickname of "Tatu" ("
armadillo
Armadillos (meaning "little armored ones" in Spanish) are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. The Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae are the only surviving families in the order, which is part of the superorder Xenarthra, along wi ...
") for his short, stocky build, which did not impede him from showing skill for the art. His main teacher was the legendary Orlando Americo da Silva or "Dudú", who also taught
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
and
Hélio Gracie
Hélio Gracie (October 1, 1913 – January 29, 2009) was a Brazilian martial artist who together with his brothers Oswaldo, Gastao Jr, George and Carlos Gracie founded and developed the self-defense martial art system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also ...
and defeated
Geo Omori
or Geo Omori as he became known in Brazil, was a Japanese-born Brazilian martial artist who is credited for being one of the creators of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.catch-as-catch-can and
vale tudo
Vale Tudo (; en, Everything Goes/Everything Allowed), also known No Holds Barred (NHB) in the United States, is an unarmed, full-contact combat sport with relatively few rules. It became popular in Brazil during the 20th century and would event ...
. In 1935, after gaining success upon beating names like the Italian Attilio and the Brazilian Bogma, Euclyes took part in the first international wrestling championship held in Brazil, winning after submitting the veteran Kutter. Just one month after, Hatem (now known as "Mestre Tatu" or simply "Tatu") was pitted against a 300 ib wrestler nicknamed "Máscara Negra" ("Black Mask"). He lost the match after 40 minutes, but the audience left convinced of his talent, moreover for the fact that Máscara was suspected to be the famous
Wladek Zbyszko
Władysław Cyganiewicz (November 20, 1891 – June 10, 1968), better known by the ring name Władek Zbyszko (), was a Polish catch wrestler, professional wrestler and strongman. "Zbyszko" was his older brother Stanislaus's childhood nickname, ...
. Hatem became known for his skill with
chokehold
A chokehold, choke, stranglehold or, in Judo, shime-waza ( ja, 絞技, translation=constriction technique) is a general term for a grappling hold that critically reduces or prevents either air (choking)''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' ( ...
s, to the point many opponents only fought him if this kind of move was forbidden.
In 1937 Tatu faced Japanese
judoka
is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...
Takeo Yano
Takeo Yano, also known as Takeo Iano, was a Japanese judoka who helped in the establishment of Brazilian jiu-jitsu in Brazil.
Biography
Yano was a standout in judo, learning it in the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai under the renowned Hajime Isogai. He ...
,
Mitsuyo Maeda
,Virgílio, pp. 22–25
a Brazilian naturalized as Otávio Maeda (),Virgílio, p. 9
was a Japanese ''judōka'' (judo practitioner) and prizefighter in no holds barred competitions, also being one of the first documented mixed martial artists of t ...
's colleague and Brazilian Navy's hand-to-hand instructor. Actually, Hatem and Yano had trained together before a match between Takeo and
Hélio Gracie
Hélio Gracie (October 1, 1913 – January 29, 2009) was a Brazilian martial artist who together with his brothers Oswaldo, Gastao Jr, George and Carlos Gracie founded and developed the self-defense martial art system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also ...
, but both left personal feelings outside the fight. Characteristically, Hatem won the match by choke. Yano requested a rematch and it took place after two months, but with the additional rule that Euclydes would have to wear a judogi. This rule gave the advantage to Yano, who won when his second attempted hip throw made Tatu take a bad fall and get his shoulder injured, turning an easy prey. Euclydes resumed competing after healing, moving to Porto Alegre to find more opponents. In another of his most known matches, he submitted Luiz Stock, who protested and demanded another round only to fall again to Hatem.
Three years later, Hatem participated in the Copa Mundial Benito Valladares, where the winner would face French wrestling champion Charles Ulsemer. Not only did Tatu win the qualifier, but he also drew with Ulsemer. They faced again two months after, and this time Euclydes won by armlock in a match refereed by Oswaldo Gracie. Tatu and Ulsemer became close friends after this result. Hatem continued moving through the land, taking part in an elite tournament in São Paulo where he would meet opponents like Richard Schikat, Tom Hanley, Henry Piers and Kola Kwariani. Unfortunately for Hatem, the tournament's ruleset forbade chokes, and he found himself losing matches by
pinfall
In wrestling, a pin is achieved by holding an opponent's shoulders to the mat for a three count. Pinfall is the term used in professional wrestling which is a way to win the match for that person or team.
Background
A pinfall is a victory condi ...
, but still the Brazilian press praised his effort and performance.
In 1942, Mestre Tatu returned to Porto Alegre to answer the challenge written down by George Gracie, a
Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...
exponent who had also trained in catch wrestling under Hatem's teachers. The match between them was celebrated to a great expectation, with Euclydes winning by rear naked choke at the second round. According to Brazilian historians such as Elton Silva, many people erroneously think he won the match via an Americana lock because of a newspaper picture from the match, but that picture was from the first round and George had managed to escape from that lock. Supposedly, he showed himself so dominant that Brazilian promoters dismissed the chance of a rematch, which Gracie didn't ask anyway.
After an unbeaten tour through Argentina in 1947, Hatem had a rubber match with his old enemy Takeo Yano, winning again by submission. The same year, Tatu was pitted against Russian superheavyweight Leon Falkenstein, nicknamed "Homem Montanha" ("Mountain Man") for his 330 ib and large height. Falkenstein had contacted Hatem to discuss the possibility of a worked match, but Euclydes refused, and negotiations got so heated that newspapers echoed them. However, when the match happened, Hatem defeated him in only 37 seconds. The Russian demanded a rematch after training with several vale tudo exponents, but results were again a victory by submission for Tatu.
Retirement
Tatu ended his career in the 1950s. After his retirement, he founded a gym and started teaching his fighting style of
luta livre
Luta Livre (, lit. ''freestyle fighting''), known in Brazil as Luta Livre Brasileira (lit. ''Brazilian freestyle fighting'') or Luta Livre Submission, and also Brazilian Submission Wrestling, is a Brazilian martial arts and combat sport created ...
. Though he retired professionally, he didn't retire from fighting altogether; on one occasion,
Valdemar Santana
Valdemar Santana (born 28 October 1929 - died 29 August 1984), sometimes known as Adema Santa, was a Brazilian martial artist who trained in Capoeira under Mestre Bimba and in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Hélio Gracie. He was also trained in Luta L ...
came to his gym to challenge him. Santana was immediately defeated by Hatem. After this, promoters proposed a fight between Tatu and
Hélio Gracie
Hélio Gracie (October 1, 1913 – January 29, 2009) was a Brazilian martial artist who together with his brothers Oswaldo, Gastao Jr, George and Carlos Gracie founded and developed the self-defense martial art system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also ...
, but the fight never happened, as Gracie demanded his opponent wear a gi and Hatem refused. Hatem focused himself on teaching, passing his knowledge to the brothers Carlos and Fausto Brunocilla until his death in 1984.