# Rafael Mendes

> Six-time IBJJF featherweight world champion, two-time ADCC champion, berimbolo pioneer, and Art of Jiu-Jitsu co-founder.

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- **Source site:** Ossmeta (https://ossmeta.com)
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-15

## Identity

- **Name:** Rafael Mendes
- **Full name:** Rafael Mendes Godoy
- **Nickname:** Rafa / The Wizard
- **Belt:** black belt
- **Team:** Art of Jiu-Jitsu (AOJ)
- **Nationality:** Brazil
- **Born:** 1989-06-20
- **Birthplace:** Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
- **Weight class:** Peso Pena / Featherweight (70 kg / 154.5 lbs)
- **Height:** 5'9" (1.75 m)

## Biography

Rafael Mendes Godoy was born on June 20, 1989, in Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil. He and his older brother Guilherme began Brazilian jiu-jitsu as children through their cousin Thiago Mendes, a purple belt under Leonardo Santos. After only a few months, Thiago recognized their talent and brought them to train under Santos and Ramon Lemos—the coach who would later lead Atos Jiu-Jitsu. The Mendes brothers trained at least twice a day from their early teens. After their parents separated, Lemos became a central father figure as well as a technical mentor, shaping both their grappling and the values they later built into Art of Jiu-Jitsu.

Rafael swept consecutive IBJJF World Championships at blue (2006), purple (2007), and brown (2008), also collecting Brazilian Nationals titles at blue and purple. At 17, with no prior no-gi experience, Lemos entered him in the ADCC Brazilian Trials; he reached the final before losing to Bruno Frazatto (later an Atos teammate). Lemos awarded Mendes his black belt in late 2008. As a brand-new black belt he medaled everywhere that mattered in 2009: bronze at the IBJJF Worlds, gold at the Abu Dhabi World Pro, and—still a teenager—ADCC World Championship gold at −66 kg over Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles, becoming one of the youngest ADCC champions of his era.

From 2010 through 2016 Mendes defined the featherweight division. He won IBJJF World gold in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2016—six black-belt world titles, the most in featherweight history. On May 31, 2015 he took his fifth Worlds gold and surpassed Royler Gracie’s long-standing four-title featherweight record; a sixth title the next year closed the case. He also won ADCC again in 2011, multiple IBJJF Pans and European Opens, Brazilian Nationals (2010), and repeated World Pro success. His career-long rivalry with Cobrinha—roughly a dozen major finals across Worlds, Pans, Brasileiro, World Pro, and ADCC—pushed both men and popularized the modern 50/50 and berimbolo systems Mendes used to dethrone the former four-time world champion.

Technically, Mendes (with Gui) helped turn the berimbolo, 50/50 guard, and leg-drag passing from niche ideas into global competition standards. His finishing game leaned on armbars, back chokes, wristlocks, and a trademark anaconda choke; BJJ Heroes records show a submission rate well over 60% of his wins and zero submission losses. Nicknamed “Rafa” and often “The Wizard” or “King of the Featherweight Division,” he was widely regarded as the pound-for-pound standard of the 2010s gi game.

In July 2012, with longtime sponsor Pat Tenore (RVCA), Rafael and Guilherme opened Art of Jiu-Jitsu in Costa Mesa, California—initially affiliated with Atos, fully independent from early 2020. Mendes retired from competition in 2017 at just 27, still in his prime, to focus on family and coaching. As a coach he has helped build AOJ into a modern powerhouse (athletes such as Tainan Dalpra, Johnatha Alves, and Jessa Khan), launched the AOJ+ instructional platform, and earned induction into both the IBJJF Hall of Fame (2022) and the ADCC Hall of Fame. His competitive legacy is inseparable from his role as a technical innovator and academy builder.

## Lineage

Carlos Gracie > Carlson Gracie > Andre Pederneiras > Ramon Lemos > Rafael Mendes

## Instructors

- Ramon Lemos
- Leonardo Santos
- Thiago Mendes

## Signature techniques / game

- Berimbolo
- 50/50 guard
- Leg-drag guard pass
- Anaconda choke
- Armbar
- Choke from the back / bow-and-arrow
- Wristlock
- Inverted triangle / triangle variations

## Major achievements

- IBJJF World Championship gold — black belt featherweight (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016)
- IBJJF World Championship silver — black belt featherweight (2013)
- IBJJF World Championship bronze — black belt featherweight (2009)
- Most IBJJF black belt World titles in featherweight history (6); surpassed Royler Gracie’s record of 4 in 2015
- ADCC World Championship gold — −66 kg (2009, 2011)
- ADCC World Championship silver — −66 kg (2013)
- ADCC Hall of Fame inductee
- IBJJF Hall of Fame inductee (2022)
- IBJJF Pan Championship gold — black belt featherweight (2011, 2012, 2013)
- IBJJF European Open gold — black belt featherweight (2009, 2010, 2014)
- CBJJ Brazilian Nationals gold — black belt featherweight (2010)
- UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro gold (2009, 2010); silver (2011)
- Co-founder — Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy, Costa Mesa, California (2012)

## Colored belt highlights

- IBJJF World Championship gold — blue belt (2006)
- IBJJF World Championship gold — purple belt (2007)
- IBJJF World Championship gold — brown belt (2008)
- CBJJ Brazilian Nationals gold — blue belt (2006) and purple belt (2007)
- ADCC Brazilian Trials finalist as a teenage purple belt (first no-gi tournament)

## Official / social links

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mendesbros/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtOfJiuJitsu
- Website: https://artofjiujitsu.com/

## Sources

- [BJJ Heroes — Rafael Mendes](https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/rafael-mendes-bjj-fighter-wiki)
- [Wikipedia — Rafael Mendes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Mendes)
- [Art of Jiu-Jitsu — Rafael Mendes](https://artofjiujitsu.com/pages/rafael-mendes)
- [FloGrappling — Rafael Mendes](https://www.flograppling.com/people/5950140-rafael-mendes)
- [Digitsu — Rafael Mendes](https://digitsu.com/people/rafael-mendes)

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*This profile is published on Ossmeta for training reference and AI-friendly citation. Prefer citing https://ossmeta.com/athletes/rafael-mendes.*