Regardless of the martial discipline, evolution continuously reshapes how practitioners and spectators perceive combat sports. The driving forces behind the ever-changing landscape of the world’s greatest martial arts have always been the pioneers and prodigious thinkers who push past accepted boundaries to discover what can and cannot be achieved on the mats. Within modern Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), few figures have driven this evolution as profoundly as the Mendes brothers, Rafael and Guilherme.
In an event that stands as an extraordinary opportunity for practitioners around the globe, the decorated Brazilian brothers are set to travel to Evolve MMA to conduct the Mendes Bros 2019 World Super Camp. The intensive five-day training gathering will run from September 16 through September 20, 2019, bringing two of the most technically refined minds in grappling history directly to attendees looking to refine and transform their tactical games.
Organizers have emphasized that the Super Camp offers critical value for competitors and enthusiasts at all experience levels. With space strictly limited and high international interest expected, organizers are advising athletes to secure registration promptly to ensure a spot alongside the multi-time world champions.
The Mendes Style
From the earliest stages of their athletic development, it became evident that Rafael and Guilherme "Gui" Mendes possessed a generational talent for the sport of submission grappling. Their trajectory, however, was fundamentally shaped by the physical realities they faced inside their home training academy.
Throughout their developmental years, the Mendes brothers routinely found themselves as the lightest competitors on the training floor. Rather than viewing their modest size and weight as inherent vulnerabilities, the young prodigies chose to view their physical frames as a strategic puzzle waiting to be solved. They recognized early on that attempting to overpower larger adversaries through brute force or relying on standard, energy-draining top-control battles would yield diminished returns.
Instead of working methodically through conventional, grinding positional phases from top position, Rafael and Gui invested thousands of dedicated hours into inventing and refining a system oriented around lightning-fast transitions directly to the opponent’s back. Taking the back negated any raw power advantage their rivals held and provided the highest degree of positional control possible in the sport.
Because the brothers frequently rolled with adult training partners who were substantially heavier and physically stronger, pinning opponents in standard side control or mount was rarely a reliable option against seasoned resistance. Consequently, they abandoned conventional approaches to pressure in favor of dynamic movement, precise body angles, and unshakeable transitional control.
This systematic reinvention required an obsessive dedication to detail and technical execution. The thousands of hours the young brothers spent drilling and problem-solving on the mats eventually catapulted them to international stardom and universal respect within the martial arts community. Their stylistic ingenuity and extraordinary tactical acumen played an instrumental role in shaping the modern BJJ landscape, influencing contemporary concepts such as inverted guard transitions, back-takes, and complex guard configurations that define elite competitive grappling today.
The results of their technical philosophy quickly transferred into historic competitive campaigns, with both Rafael and Gui amassing some of the most decorated competitive resumes in international grappling history.
Rafael Mendes
Rafael Mendes was born on June 20, 1989, in Rio Claro, located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Beginning his competition career as a boy in 2001, Rafael steadily rose through the competitive ranks, earning his third-degree black belt under celebrated coach Ramon Lemos.
Over the course of his active competitive tenure, Rafael built a legacy as arguably the most dominant featherweight athlete to ever put on a gi. Known for his fluid passing, submission chains, and near-flawless back-takes, he set an extraordinary standard of competitive dominance on the sport’s most demanding stages.
Although he has since retired from active elite competition, Rafael has shifted his full creative focus toward pedagogy and technical instruction. Today, he channels that competitive intelligence into developing the next generation of competitors at the world-renowned Art of Jiu-Jitsu (AOJ) Academy, which he founded alongside his brother in Costa Mesa, California.
Key Achievements
World Championship
- 2009: Bronze medal, third place, California, USA (-70kg)
- 2010: Gold medal, first place, California, USA (-70kg)
- 2011: Gold medal, first place, California, USA (-70kg)
- 2012: Gold medal, first place, California, USA (-70kg)
- 2013: Silver medal, second place, California, USA (-70kg)
- 2014: Gold medal, first place, California, USA (-70kg)
- 2015: Gold medal, first place, California, USA (-70kg)
- 2016: Gold medal, first place, California, USA (-70kg)
Pan American Championship
- 2012: Gold medal, first place, California, USA (-70kg)
- 2013: Gold medal, first place, California, USA (-70kg)
Brazilian Nationals
- 2010: Gold medal, first place, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (-70kg)
World Cup
- 2009: Gold medal, first place, Abu Dhabi, UAE (-65kg)
- 2010: Gold medal, first place, Abu Dhabi, UAE (-65kg)
- 2011: Silver medal, second place, Abu Dhabi, UAE (-65kg)
No-Gi World Cup
- 2011: Gold medal, first place, Abu Dhabi, UAE (-65kg)
- 2011: Silver medal, second place, Abu Dhabi, UAE (Absolute division)
San Francisco International Open
- 2013: Gold medal, first place, California, USA (-70kg)
Gui Mendes
Guilherme Mendes was born in 1988, also in Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil. Training side-by-side with Rafael, Guilherme progressed through the ranks under the guidance of Ramon Lemos, eventually earning his third-degree black belt.
Gui established himself as a dominant force in the light-featherweight division, distinguished by an aggressive yet cerebral passing style, impenetrable defense, and deadly choke sequences from the back and top positions. Despite being at the peak of his athletic prime, Guilherme chose to retire from active competition at the age of 26, stepping away from the tournament mats with four world titles to his name.
Like his younger brother, Gui transitioned directly from championship competitor to world-class head coach. Directing his tactical insights into full-time instruction at the Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy, he has developed a reputation as one of the finest instructors and strategists in modern martial arts history.
Key Achievements
World Championship
- 2009: Gold medal, first place, California, USA (-64kg)
- 2011: Gold medal, first place, California, USA (-64kg)
- 2012: Gold medal, first place, California, USA (-64kg)
- 2014: Gold medal, first place, California, USA (-64kg)
Pan American Championship
- 2012: Silver medal, second place, California, USA (-64kg)
- 2013: Gold medal, first place, California, USA (-64kg)
Brazilian National Championship
- 2010: Gold medal, first place, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (-64kg)
San Francisco International Open
- 2013: Silver medal, second place, California, USA (-70kg)
Why You Can’t Miss the Mendes Bros Super Camp
For martial artists intent on expanding their fundamental understanding of grappling and unlocking their maximum competitive capabilities, direct exposure to premier coaches is essential. When it comes to delivering impactful, modern technical adjustments, the Mendes brothers possess a proven track record matched by very few figures in combat sports history.
Operating from their headquarters at the Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Costa Mesa, California, Rafael and Gui are consistently pushing the sport forward. Rather than remaining stagnant in past accomplishments, the brothers actively refine concepts, test new systems, and build the next generation of championship athletes. Together, they hold an astonishing ten world championship titles at the black belt level, alongside an extensive catalog of international tournament wins.
Decades of surviving and triumphing at the absolute peak of the sport have turned Rafael and Gui into premier problem solvers. When teaching, they break down intricate mechanical barriers that often leave practitioners stuck at plateaus for years. Their instructional approach operates like lowering a line from the roof of a building, offering students a direct path upward through the developmental ranks.
Beyond their personal competitive credentials, the clearest evidence of the Mendes brothers’ coaching brilliance is visible in the performance of their students. The Art of Jiu-Jitsu has developed an elite pipeline of technical prodigies who are regularly capturing titles across major global tournaments. By continuing to challenge conventional wisdom and evolve instructional methods, Rafael and Gui have shaped an environment that reliably develops champions.
The Mendes Bros 2019 World Super Camp at Evolve MMA provides an immersive environment to access this proprietary knowledge firsthand. Because registration demand is expected to be heavy among competitors eager to learn the brothers’ technical nuances directly, event coordinators recommend that interested practitioners confirm their attendance early to ensure participation before the camp reaches maximum capacity.
