Francisco Filho

Francisco Alves Filho, or Chiquinho, as he became known, was born on January 10, 1971, in Souto Soares, Bahia. He started training Kyokushin at the age of 11, encouraged (and sponsored) by his older brother. “It was Hélcio who paid the academy's monthly fee”.

Filho confesses that his goal was to train for two years and then move on to other sports. “I wanted to know a little about everything. But, during classes, I started to realize that Kyokushin had philosophy, respect, strength, technique, speed and discipline. So, I asked myself: ‘why leave Kyokushin, if I can learn everything here?’ ”.

Interestingly, in his debut in competitions, at age 12, Filho lost in the first fight, to a blue belt. “The sensei always complained, saying that something was missing. I believe this helped me ”.

At 18, Filho won his first international title in the South American Championship.

In 1991, when defeating the favorite Andy Hug in the V World Championship in Tokyo, Filho was elected the revelation athlete. “This victory had a huge impact. It was too much. After that, in 94, I passed the exam for 3rd dan and won 30 fights, which was very impressive ”, he remembers.

In the following year, during the VI World Cup, the attention turned to Filho and to the great chances of becoming World Champion. He came in 3rd place, much to his disappointment. “It was four years of rigorous training. I couldn't travel, I didn't have a holiday… When I couldn't do it, I said to myself: 'It's over. He arrives. I do not want anymore'. But, then you end up thinking twice before giving up. This is the spirit of Kyokushin ”.

Perseverance paid off and in 1999 Francisco Filho left his mark on Kyokushin's history as the only foreigner to win the World Championship.

“Doing the 100 fights in Japan was a big challenge. This is the maximum test of Kyokushin and whoever is willing to do it needs to be very well physically and spiritually.

At the beginning of the test, I was anxious. As soon as I completed the first 30 fights, I started to feel more relaxed. When I went through the 60th fight, the situation started to worry me again, because I had some injuries that made it difficult to apply some blows. After 80 fights, my body no longer responded immediately. I started to feel cramps in my chest and legs. Fortunately, I was able to control the pain and complete 100 fights without any more serious accidents! ”

It is worth remembering that Filho was the only Brazilian to successfully test the 100 fights in Japan and the only one in the world who did not need to be hospitalized after the feat. He broke the record for duration (3 hours and 2 minutes) and number of wins (76 wins and 24 draws).

In April 1997, after winning the World Championship by Category, Filho was invited to participate in the K-1. “My debut was in June 1997, against Andy Hug, champion of the 96 tournament. I won by knockout in the 1st. round. They said I was hiding the game. ”

The first victory was followed by several others. Filho won the four biggest K-1 champions. In addition to Andy Hug, the Brazilian defeated Peter Aerts, Ernest Hoost and Remy Bonjasky. The speed with which he knocked out his opponents made him known worldwide for the “ichigueki” brand (a single blow).

Today, as the first Brazilian Shihan, Filho is dedicated to training new champions. In May 2006, he opened his own gym in the city of Bragança Paulista (SP). Shihan Filho is also the current president of the Brazilian Kyokushin Confederation.