Tainan Dalpra jokes about a Rafael Mendes comeback: “a few million”
In a chat with VF Comunica, the four-time world champion shares what he saw and heard about the six-time champion at AOJ and repeats the talk about the price of a superfight
A superfight to bring Rafael Mendes out of retirement has a price, at least in backstage talk. In a chat with Vitor Freitas of VF Comunica, Tainan Dalpra was asked for a prediction on a comeback by the six-time world champion and answered, jokingly, with what he hears around: “I saw people saying: look, it’s going to take a few million.”
The push came from the journalist, who asked for the prediction and added: “A lot of people want to fight Rafael Mendes. It would be cool. One match, a superfight to bring him out of retirement.”
“Everybody says he really was on another level”
Before the joke, Tainan talked about what he saw up close. He arrived at Art of Jiu-Jitsu at 14, when Rafael was still competing, and watched the final stretch of his career. “Actually, I followed him a lot. I followed the end of his career too, since I saw him every day in training,” he said.
The rest he heard from people who were around Rafael from the start. “But I’ve heard a lot of stories,” he said, mentioning how close he is to the six-time champion’s coaches and training partners, before adding that “everybody says he really was on another level.”
Six world titles and a place in the Hall of Fame
Rafael Mendes, 37, won the IBJJF World Championship six times at featherweight between 2010 and 2016. With his fifth title, in 2015, he passed Royler Gracie’s record in the division. The sixth came in 2016, in a final against Márcio André that ended 10-10 and was decided on advantages. He also won ADCC, the biggest tournament in no-gi grappling, in 2009 and 2011, in the under 66 kg (145 lbs) division.
Much of that story ran through Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles, the rival he beat in three World Championship finals, in 2012, 2014 and 2015. With his brother Guilherme Mendes, Rafael founded Art of Jiu-Jitsu in California, and the two entered the IBJJF Hall of Fame together in 2022. His full career is on Rafael Mendes’ profile on VF Comunica.
The same question follows Tainan
The retirement talk has another side. At 25 and a four-time world champion, Tainan Dalpra is also being asked if he will stop, and he told VF Comunica that his decision on competing again comes in January.
The video of the chat, in Portuguese, is on Vitor Freitas’ Instagram.
How much is a Rafael Mendes superfight worth, and who would you want to see him face? Leave your opinion in the comments.
