Perez

Fernando Rodrigues Perez was a student of Mestre Bimba who trained in Capoeira Regional in Bahia. He represented Bimba's academy in the historic 1949 capoeira challenge at Estádio Carioca in Rio de Janeiro.

In February 1949, Mestre Sinhozinho, the leading figure of capoeira carioca in Rio de Janeiro, challenged Mestre Bimba's Capoeira Regional school. Bimba's group, which was touring São Paulo at the time, had been claiming superiority and was eager for real fighting ("pra valer") rather than just exhibition matches. As the newspaper A Noite announced on April 1, 1949: "Capoeira Challenge - Sinhozinho of the Federal District against Master Bimba from Bahia".

The event was organized by the Federação Metropolitana de Pugilismo (Metropolitan Federation of Pugilism) and held over two days at the Estádio Carioca on Avenida Passos in downtown Rio. It included not only the inter-capoeira matches but also a team of catch wrestlers who had similarly challenged Bimba's academy.

On April 7, 1949, Perez faced Rudolf Hermanny, a 17-year-old student of Sinhozinho who would later become a Brazilian and Pan-American judo champion. The Globo Esportivo newspaper that day announced: "Hoje no Estádio Carioca - o capoeira carioca Hermanny (capoeira de Sinhozinho) em confronto como Perez (capoeira de Mestre Bimba)" ("Today at Carioca Stadium - the Cariocan capoeirista Hermanny [of Sinhozinho] in confrontation with Perez [of Mestre Bimba]").

The fight was brief and decisive. Hermanny dominated the bout, defeating Perez in just two minutes. A kick from Hermanny injured Perez's arm, ending the match. This came after fellow Bimba student Jurandir had lost to Cirandinha on April 2, meaning both of Bimba's representatives were defeated.

The impact of these losses was significant. According to sources, Bimba was so impressed by the techniques he observed that he studied movements from Sinhozinho's fighters afterward to incorporate into his own Capoeira Regional style.

Little else is known about Perez's life before or after this challenge. His participation marks him as one of Bimba's capable fighters during a crucial period of inter-style rivalry in Brazilian capoeira history.