Cyriaco

Francisco da Silva Cyríaco was born in 1871 among the sugar cane fields of Campos dos Goytacazes in northern Rio de Janeiro state—a time when slavery still existed in Brazil. By the early 1900s, he had made his way to the capital, where he worked as a stevedore carrying sacks of coffee from the docks to downtown Rio. In the violent streets of Rio de Janeiro's belle époque, he earned a reputation as one of the most skilled capoeiristas in Brazil, known by the nickname "Macaco Velho" (Old Monkey).

On May 1, 1909, Cyriaco stepped into the ring at the Pavilhão Internacional of Paschoal Segreto for what many consider the first professional Vale Tudo match in Brazilian history. His opponent was Sada Miyako, a Japanese jiu-jitsu expert hired by the Brazilian Navy to teach hand-to-hand combat to its elite officer corps. Miyako had been challenging all comers to public matches and was considered invincible.

The public practice of capoeira was outlawed by the Republican Criminal Code of 1890, making Cyriaco's very presence a legal risk. But the medical school students of the National Academy of Medicine in downtown Rio—emboldened by nationalist fervor—had informally "adopted" him, urging him to defend what they had started to regard as a Brazilian combat art. After insistent requests, the law was relaxed. Cyriaco declared: "I am quite confident in my skills. If I have a shot, I will not disappoint you".

He was forced to wear the traditional jiu-jitsu uniform (gi), a measure intended to make the Afro-Brazilian fighter appear "respectable" and "clean" in order to represent the national colors. But inside the ring, Cyriaco fought his way. Using capoeira's characteristic ginga to keep Miyako off-balance, he evaded a morote gari (double-leg takedown) attempt. Then he struck: a devastating circular kick called rabo de arraia (stingray tail) connected with Miyako's head and knocked him down. The Japanese fighter rose but was immediately hit with the same kick a second time and knocked unconscious.

The match had lasted mere seconds. The audience erupted. They carried Cyriaco on their shoulders through the streets of the city center, crying: "Asia kneels to Brazil!"

The magazine O Malho ran a headline on May 15, 1909: "Jiu-jitsu versus Capoeira: Cyríaco, the hero". The newspaper A Notícia compared him to Santos Dumont and called him a world champion. Despite capoeira being prohibited, Cyriaco was invited to give demonstrations of his techniques at the Medical School of Rio de Janeiro before groups of academics. He became one of the first Brazilian sports heroes from the popular classes—a symbol of the nascent republic, which needed idols identified with the emerging mestizo nation.

For Miyako, the loss was devastating. He continued performing for a few more weeks, but his reputation never recovered. By June 1909, he had stopped performing entirely.

Cyriaco continued working as a stevedore. Three years after his triumph, on May 18, 1912, he died at age 38 from a cardiac lesion. The Correio da Manhã announced: "Cyriaco, campeão da capoeiragem nacional, falleceu hontem" (Cyriaco, champion of national capoeira, died yesterday). He died with capoeira still outlawed—it would remain so until 1941.

His legacy endured. Watching Cyriaco's victory at the Pavilhão Internacional inspired young Agenor Moreira Sampaio (later known as Mestre Sinhozinho) to seek out capoeira training on the hill of Santo Antônio. The tradition of capoeiristas proving their art against other fighting styles continued through Sinhozinho, Bimba, and into modern MMA. Today, a community library in his native Campos dos Goytacazes bears his name: Biblioteca Comunitária Francisco da Silva Cyríaco.