João Mendes

João Pedro Bueno Mendes, known as “Bisnaga,” was born on July 21, 1997, in Curitiba, Brazil, and grew up in Colombo, in the metro area. He was a small, shy boy, and his parents signed him up for Jiu-Jitsu. His first coach was Alexandre Nunes, known as “Bokão,” who guided him through all the colored belts. The nickname comes from his father, who introduced him that way to the coach on the first day of class.

He was world champion as a juvenile, in 2013 and 2014, and at purple belt, in 2016. That year he took part in a Worlds training camp at Atos headquarters in San Diego, and André and Angélica Galvão invited him to stay with the team. At brown belt he was Worlds runner-up in 2017 and took bronze in 2018, and he got his black belt from André Galvão on June 8, 2018.

His first years at black belt brought podiums at Opens and on the AJP circuit, plus bronze at the 2019 Europeans and silver at the 2021 American Nationals. In 2024 he reached the Crown final after beating Kennedy Maciel and Ademir Barreto, and was submitted by Diego “Pato” Oliveira in the final.

The world title came in 2025. Bisnaga beat Thiago Macedo, Marco Mendes and Diego Sodré, the last one with a foot lock, and beat Meyram Maquiné in the final by referee decision. “I came in as number 22 in a bracket of 23 athletes and made my way to my first black belt world title,” he wrote on Instagram after the win. That same year he won the Istanbul leg of the AJP Grand Slam and returned to the Crown final, where he lost to Cole Abate by one advantage.

In 2026 he began competing for Alliance. He took bronze at Pans and Worlds, stopped in both semifinals by Cole Abate, and lost in the quarterfinals of the Brazilian Nationals to Cleison Santos by referee decision.

He was the first name the IBJJF announced for the featherweight bracket at the 2026 Crown, on November 8.