Georges Mehdi

Kastriot "Georges" Mehdi (1934 – November 6, 2018) was a French-born Brazilian judoka, considered one of the most prominent practitioners of judo in Brazil.

Biography Early career An Albanian, native born in [Saint Étienne[ France, George originally came to Brazil on a vacation in 1950 and did not return. A trained judoka, he went to the jiu-jitsu school of Carlos Gracie, but left it after some time due to differences with the Gracie family. According to him, they taught very little throwing claiming that it was less useful than groundfighting, while Mehdi believed that they did so because they did not know how to throw.

According to fellow Gracie student Armando Wriedt, Mehdi was fired for being "lazy and undisciplined". In one instance, he would have almost thrown a student off a staircase during a challenge. In another point of friction, Carlson Gracie injured him while training. Additionally, Mehdi would have moved to Japan, by suggestion of Mestre Sinhozinho's former student Rudolf Hermanny, in order to escape the death threat of several policemen he had a brawl with.

Learning under all Japan champion and Kyuzo Mifune trainee Yasuichi Matsumoto, Mehdi trained for five years at the Tenri University in Nara, meeting names like world middleweight champion Isao Okano and the great Masahiko Kimura. He actually had already met Matsumoto in Brazil, where Yasuichi had seen him do judo while on a tour of the world. He provided Mehdi with tuition room and board and spending money for 5 years. Additionally Mehdi trained at the Kodokan and Chuo University.

Competition Mehdi was referred to as the best judoka in Brazil, whom the Gracie family refused to face in judo competition. This was in 1942 after the loss of George Gracie to Euclydes Hatem, fearing that it might have a bad effect on their growing reputation.

In 1951, Mehdi was a witness to the Masahiko Kimura vs. Hélio Gracie fight and Helio's subsequent hospitalization, He stated that, unlike what the Gracie side claimed, Kimura was no giant, but about 5'6 and 185 lbs. Additionally he believed the fight was worked or choreographed to a point, with Kimura intentionally allowing Hélio to fight for minutes before finishing him. Wriedt recalls Hélio Gracie pressed Mehdi into making the claim. He competed in the 5th world championships. He received a silver medal and a bronze medal in the Pan American games in 1963 and 1967 respectively.

Teaching career He trained numerous individuals including Henrique Machado. George's students included Mario Sperry, Rickson Gracie, multiple USA National Medalist Brian Pereira, and Sylvio Behring. Judo champion Isao Okano said of Mehdi that "if you took all the knowledge of all the instructors in this hall [the Olympics], it would not equal the knowledge of Sensei Mehdi".

He was fluent in French, English, Japanese, and Portuguese.

Death Sensei Mehdi died November 6, 2018, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, aged 84.