When it comes to submission grappling, there are a few names synonymous with sustained success. Among those names is Guilherme Mendes. From 2009 onwards, the older Mendes brother has been garnering critical acclaim on the mats, winning four world championships in the process. In recent months the jiu jitsu phenom has taken a step back from competition to focus on teaching, After Mendes sent a cryptic Instagram post, Bloody Elbow was able to confirm Mendes' immediate retirement with sources close to the situation.

Born in 1988, Gui Mendes, alongside his brother Rafa, began training jiu jitsu under Nova Uniao coaches Leonardo Santos and Ramon Lemos in 2001 and immediately they showed potential. The next fourteen years of Gui's life would be spent competing and training full time. Mendes won all there is to win as a blue, purple and brown belt, before being given his black belt in 2008 by Lemos. As a black belt Mendes became a four-time world champion and in 2012 he and his brother moved to California to set up their own academy.

At 26 years old it seems unfathomable that an athlete in his prime would step out of active competition. But Mendes has elected to focus on his academy, preparing his brother for competitions and starting his own family.