Augusto Mendes - MMA & BJJ World Champion

Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes is a 4th-degree BJJ Black Belt under Master Francisco Mansur who is a 9th-degree BJJ Black Belt. Augusto Mendes is a huge name in the featherweight division not only under IBJJF but also in ADCC and UAEJJF championships. He is a top-class MMA fighter who made his UFC debut in 2016. Also recognized as a CBJJ-certified referee, Augusto Mendes is an accomplished grappler.

Augusto Mendes was born on 3rd March 1983 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

When Augusto Mendes turned 14 in 1997, his brother persuaded him to practice BJJ. His brother, Bruno Mendes, used to practice BJJ as he was 2 years older than Tanquinho.

Augusto Mendes then joined Kiota Gym in his country and trained under Professor Alvaro and Krauss Mansor. It took only a few days for Augusto to love the sport. He became overwhelmed by the sport and how his instructors taught him made him even more into BJJ.

All this time, Augusto trained under the discretion of Master Francisco Mansur.

Augusto’s dedication towards BJJ was so intense that he trained BJJ thrice a day.

After training for four months, Augusto won the Rio State Championship and a Bronze Medal. This was the day when Augusto decided to pursue BJJ professionally and later gave all his time and efforts to training.

After Augusto’s first successful championship win, he went for other championships and won second place in the Brazilian Championship. Augusto also competed in local tournaments just to get better and improve his performance.

After watching Augusto compete and train so hard at the gym, he got an offer to teach at the gym he used to train, Koito Gym, in early 1999. Augusto accepted the offer and simultaneously continued training and teaching at the gym. Augusto was a wonderful instructor when it came to teaching. He was often supervised by Alvaro and Krauss Mansor. In case of any assistance, Augusto used to reach out to his senior instructors.

Marcos Carvalho had a great impact on Augusto. Augusto used to consult Carvalho about his teaching and how he can improve more.

Augusto then decided to complete his education. He went to complete his degree in physical education at the University Estacio de Sa. He paid all his university dues from the money he had earned as an instructor. It was his commitment towards BJJ that Augusto wanted to gain more knowledge regarding teaching and training.

In 2005, Augusto and his brother left the Kioto gym. The only reason was the difference of ideas regarding the future of the team. It was a hard decision for them as they had spent so many years training and teaching at Kioto gym. Later, Augusto and his brother Bruno Mendes founded Renovacao BJJ.

After the formation of Renovacao BJJ, Mendes brothers came to know that running a gym is a full-time job. They were left with little to no time to train. That is why they decided to train with other practitioners to sharpen their grappling skills.

In 2007, Augusto started training with Rafael “Formiga” Barbosa and Leandro “Tatu” Escobar. This training turned fruitful for them and eventually, they decided to form an alliance with Professor Alvaro Mansor. This alliance was termed as Soul Fighters and was founded in January 2008.

The inception of Soul Fighters was a huge success for Augusto. He was able to get the world's best fighters in his team who were as dedicated to BJJ as him. Within a few years of its formation, SAoul Fighters became an international alliance with more than 20 affiliations and hundreds of students.

Augusto Mendes in a referee certified by the Confederação Brasileira de Jiu-Jitsu (CBJJ).

As a Blue Belt, Augusto won his first World Title in 2000. He won a Gold medal under the Kioto Gym banner, after winning 5 consecutive flights and became the first World Champion Kioto Gym has ever produced.

Augusto won Mundial in 2002 after a winning streak of six matches. In 2003 as a Brown Belt, Augusto won another World Championship. After winning major championships, Augusto had to slow down training in order to complete his degree in physical education. Augusto was inclined towards fitness from the start of his fighting career. He wanted to practice as well as teach martial arts. And he wanted to do it in a professional way which is why he opted for a degree in physical education.

In December 2004, Augusto Mendes was promoted to Black Belt under Master Francisco Mansor. In 2006, after the completion of his degree, Augusto became a professional grappler.

Augusto Mendes became the IBJJF Rio Open Black Belt Champion twice in 2009 and 2010. He also competed in the Brazilian Team Championships but under the GFT (Grappling Fight Team) banner.

At the World Cup in January 2010, Augusto won the Portuguese Trials held in Lisbon. Augusto won 3 matches and made all the way to the podium. He won the first 2 matches via submission while the third one, by a staggering lead of 18x0 points.

Augusto won the first place at the UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro twice, in 2011 and 2013.

Augusto Mendes’ MMA debut was on 4 December 2014. He competed against Xavier Ramirez at the King of the Cage: Fisticuffs. Augusto won the fight via first round Armbar.

After Augusto’s first victory, he won the next 4 fights in a row. Augusto won 2 fights at the King of the Cage, including his MMA debut. This consecutive 5 win streak put Augusto Mendes upfront for potential championships to notice. And this is when UFC took notice of the BJJ and MMA Champion.

At the UFC Fight Night: Cowboy Vs. Cowboy, Augusto competed against Cody Garbrandt and made his UFC debut. Unfortunately, Augusto lost the fight via the first-round knockout.

On 15 January 2017, Augusto Mendes competed against Frankie Saenz and won the fight via split decision. He was awarded with the “Fight of the Night” award for his spectacular performance.

Unfortunately, Augusto lost the fight against Aljamain Sterling at the UFC on Fox: Johnson Vs. Reis was held on 21 April 2017.

Augusto Mendes was scheduled to fight at UFC Fight Night 128 but he was pulled out of the fight before. He was tested positive for the use of ostarine on 21 April, 2018. It was then termed as a United States Anti-Doping Agency(USADA) violation.

Augusto Mendes took to his Instagram and said that he is fully innocent. He claimed that he never used drugs in his martial arts career and he respects the decision of USADA.

Just after 2 months of suspension, Augusto joined Absolute Championship Berkut, now known as Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA). His suspension charges were then lifted.

Augusto Mendes made his professional debut at ACA by competing against Ivan Zhirkov at ACA 96: Goncharov Vs. Johnson. Augusto lost the fight via split decision in the third round.

It is one of the techniques of Augusto that he goes for the sleeve grip first. Even if his opponent pounds on him, Augusto never breaks the sleeve grip rather he uses it as an anchor to keep himself stable. There are times during the match, where it seems Augusto is about to lose but his stealth doesn’t let him do that. He is one of the most resilient fighters in the BJJ and MMA world.

Jonathan Torres or JT Torres is a 3rd-degree BJJ Black Belt under Lloyd Irvin. He is the owner of Essential BJJ Academy. Jonathan is known for his grip strength. He is even named “Spiderman” because of his grip strength. The fight with Augusto started pretty heavily. Both the fighters depicted a strong standing game. Jonathan initiated a single-leg takedown but Augusto Mendes was not an easy grappler to take down.

Later it was Augusto who initiated the take down and gained an advantage point. Jonathan couldn’t score any point so Augusto was declared winner on the basis of an advantage point.

Rafael Mendes is a 3rd-degree BJJ Black Belt under Ramon Lemos. He is known as the “King of Featherweight Division”. He has won many world titles among which six IBJJF World and one ADCC World titles are worth mentioning. During the fight with Augusto, Rafael tried to attempt the Armbar submission but Augusto’s strong balance enabled him to escape the submission. Augusto and Rafael both gained 2 points from the sweep. It was the end of the fight when the real excitement began.

Rafael Mendes tried to leglock Augusto Mendes but Augusto escaped it so nicely that he even earned an advantage point. And won the final.

Augusto "Tanquinho" Mendes VS Leandro Lo / Pan Championship 2011

Augusto Tanquinho Mendes vs Rubens Charles Mundial Abu Dhabi 2013

Augusto Tanquinho Mendes Tanquinho vs JT Torres 2012 No Gi Worlds

Photo Credit: @tanquinhojj