Vítor Benedito Lopes

Vítor Benedito Lopes was a fighter active in Salvador, Bahia, in the 1930s. He is remembered as one of the four opponents defeated by Mestre Bimba in the famous 1936 challenge series at Parque Odeon in Praça da Sé, Salvador.

In 1936, Mestre Bimba issued an open challenge through the newspapers to fighters of any martial art style to test his Capoeira Regional. The fights were held at the newly inaugurated Parque Odeon under boxing-like rules developed by fellow capoeirista Aníbal Burlamaqui.

Vítor Benedito Lopes stepped into the ring to face Bimba and was defeated. What made this particular bout significant was how Bimba finished him—with an "asfixiante" or "galopante", hand strike techniques. The asfixiante targets the throat and can cause difficulty breathing, while the galopante is a hooking slap that follows the trajectory of a hook punch.

Bimba's use of these hand strikes against Vítor sparked controversy within the capoeira community. Traditional mestres debated whether it was valid to use hand strikes in the roda, leading to a famous rivalry about acceptable techniques. This controversy helped define the differences between Bimba's Regional style and traditional Capoeira Angola, where hand strikes were less commonly emphasized.

The fight also had financial implications—police chief Lúcio "Barra Preta" de Tal reportedly lost money betting on the match result. This may suggest that Vítor was considered a strong fighter, possibly even favored by some bettors. The financial loss allegedly motivated Barra Preta to later ambush Bimba on Engenho Velho street in August 1936.

Vítor Benedito Lopes was one of four opponents Bimba faced—alongside Henrique Bahia, Américo Ciência, and José Custódio "Zé I" dos Santos. Bimba won all four matches, earning the nickname "Três Pancadas" (Three Hits) for his devastating efficiency.