Guilherme Mendes is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Ramon Lemos as well as one of the main figures in the Atos Jiu-Jitsu team, being also one of the best "peso pluma" (64,00 kg / 141.5 lbs) competitors to have ever competed in the sport. As well as being the first Atos team member to achieve a gold medal at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World Championship (2009), Guilherme Mendes is also the co-founder of the Art of Jiu-Jitsu academy and the brother of another jiu-jitsu legend in Rafael Mendes. Guilherme Mendes was born in 1988 in the town of Rio Claro. Guilherme started training together with his younger brother Rafael in 2001 through their cousin who soon understood the brothers had potential and enrolled them on a neighboring kids jiu-jitsu academy. There, the brothers met coaches Ramon Lemos and Leonardo Santos, though, by the time the Mendes reached their yellow belts, coach Leonardo moved to Rio de Janeiro leaving the gym on Ramon Lemos' capable hands. Lemos quickly became a big influence for both of Guilherme and Rafael as their parents separated and their father became absent, for the most part. With time and a proficient grappling record in the colored belt ranks, the Mendes brothers name started to be asserted by the BJJ Media in Brazil, as the future of the sport. The Mendes' success across all belt levels led to their "crowning" as jiu-jitsu black belts, a promotion that took place in October 2008. As their mentor Ramon changed teams throughout the years (first Nova Uniao, then a brief period in Brasa and the later Atos), so did the Mendes Brothers. In 2012 Guilherme and his brother Rafael moved to the United States of America, settling there and opening their own gym in California, a top of the range facility which the Mendes brothers opened with the support of important sponsors such as RVCA. On May 19, 2015, Guilherme Mendes announced that he would be retiring from competitive Brazilian jiu-jitsu to concentrate on helping his students and setting a family. Guilherme held the world jiu-jitsu title in his weight division at the time, he was 26 years old at the time. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );