Tanquinho: My Five Greatest Victories
Augusto "Tanquinho" Mendes discusses his five favorite victories in his legendary career.
I recently reached out to the legendary Augusto "Tanquinho" Mendes to pitch an idea for an article. I knew that during his long career he had defeated a "who's who" of the jiu-jitsu world, with multiple hall-of-famers on his victim's list. Tanquinho was already an IBJJF Worlds champ gi and no-gi and recently won ADCC 2019 at 36 years old, his career has been epic.
I asked him to email me in Portuguese with descriptions of his five favorite wins in his career, the wins that meant the most to him. Tanquinho did an unbelievable job describing the fights; my wife and I translated the answers to English, and here they are.
These are Tanquinho's five greatest wins.
Tanquinho vs Rafa Mendes – Abu Dhabi World Pro 2011
It was April 2011 and we were close to the biggest World Pro ever, all the best fighters were registered and confirmed to fight the first and only World Pro that would have gi and no-gi fights, a total of two weekends of fights, and two whole weeks with everyone in Abu Dhabi.
I was in the 74kg category after winning the Portugal trials. I was quite excited and confident of having a good tournament. A few weeks earlier I was the IBJJF Pans and I had finished in third place in the lightweight category, with wins over Leandro Lo and Caporal and had lost 4-2 to Lucas Lepri in a big fight.
On the day of the trip, I board for Abu Dhabi and the only fighters on the same flight as me are the Mendes brothers. We talked, joked and when we got to the destination we shared a taxi to the hotel, after all I would fight in the 74kg category and both were in the 65kg category.
First day in Abu Dhabi and I became sick, my throat was very sore. I could barely swallow, had a fever, I stayed in bed for five days. But it was time for the first weekend and the no-gi event. I was so weak that I lost 4kg in those five days, but I still go to fight and my first fight in the 74kg category was against Davi Ramos, who beat me by one advantage. In the end I thanked God for not having to fight anymore, I was very sick, I went back to the hotel to rest. The next day I got much worse and I asked the World Pro organization to take me to the hospital, because my throat was full of pus and I couldn’t swallow.
Once there the doctor confirmed a severe inflammation and told me to take antibiotics for six days and rest. By this time I had lost 6kg since I arrived in Abu Dhabi, could not eat and went from 78kg to 72kg. I started taking my medicine and feeling better, with two days to go before the main event, with the gi.
In a conversation with several black belts and friends who were in Abu Dhabi everyone said that I should change my category to 65kg, because there were two days left and I was still weighing 73kg. I was starting to gain weight again but it was too little to fight 74kg with the weigh-ins the day before. I thought it was crazy to try to cut that weight in two days, I had never made a weight cut like that and on top of that I had been very sick.
After much talk I got in touch with the organization and was allowed to change categories, that started the worst 48 hours that I spent in Abu Dhabi. It was 8kg in 48h, but without experience and without the right methods of a weight cut, I just went in the sauna and cut the weight as irresponsibly and dangerously as possible. That was the first proof that God was with me: I made the weight in and confirmed my participation in the World Pro. The next day was fight day and I woke up feeling good, it was a Thursday, an unusual day for black belt fights. My throat was already better and I was feeling good. We reached the arena and after looking at my bracket, I realized a totally unbalanced bracket and my way to the final was very difficult.
I decided not to think about the fights and take them one fight at a time. The first fight was a victory over Ryan Hall, then I beat Ary Farias, Guilherme Mendes, and Ed Ramos, all from Atos. I qualified for the final on Saturday against the current world champion Rafael Mendes. I had broken an Atos featherweight closeout sequence there. They’d been closing all the events in the semifinals, and getting four Atos members out gave hope for everyone in the category. The days that passed only added to the pressure and trash talk about the fight. Online wars and a lot of talk before the fight, including being offered an $8,000 bet by the Mendes brothers that Rafael would beat me.
The mood in the hotel was tense, talk from all different teams increased the expectations and the internet fight. In Abu Dhabi I kept my focus, my belief in God's plans and my trust in myself, at that point I saw that everything has a why and if I had not been sick I would never change categories and be living that experience.
The day of the finals arrived, a real show produced by UAEJJF. There was no longer any room for trash talk, now it would be just me and him inside the mat.
The atmosphere in the arena was amazing, during the days leading up to the fight I received a lot of support and positive energy from a lot of people inside and outside Abu Dhabi. My final was the first men's final. I was called, walked to the edge of the mat, knelt down and said my prayer before the fight, got up and heard the crowd, the entire Arena next to me cheering for me.
The fight begins and soon I realize that fighting against Rafael Mendes was different, he is different, doesn’t make mistakes. But I realized that he also felt the pressure to have to win and avenge all of his team. He starts to get frustrated, the fight is very close, it was a very close match and in the end the score was a draw. I got up and celebrated because despite the score, I showed that I wanted a little more, but I knew that the decision could go anywhere.
There were three judges and the decision went in my favor, 2x1 split decision for me. I burst out of joy and celebrated, the whole crowd in the Abu Dhabi standing and celebrating, at that time no one represented any team and everyone screamed my name. I felt the best in the world!
In the end, it was an experience of discipline, patience and reaction to everything I went through in Abu Dhabi. I returned to Brazil with the mission accomplished, as champion, recovered from the throat but not happy. I had beaten the current world champion, but not the way I wanted. I knew Rafael was different, he wasn't the champion by chance and that he would come better at the IBJJF World Championship. I would have to keep evolving to win again, but one thing I was pretty sure about: I was on the right track!
Tanquinho vs JT Torres – No-Gi Worlds 2012
Exactly one year after my cervical surgery in November 2011, I fought my first major championship and I reached the final. In my mind, millions of things went by. I went eight months without training and only four months before I went back to training, and now I am fighting at No-Gi Worlds. It was only four months of training, but my preparation was a lot of dedication. One month very slowly, gaining confidence. Another one and a half months focusing on physical conditioning and drills, then another month and a half intense.
After beating Leandro Lo 9-0 in the semis, I was in the lightweight final against JT Torres.
The atmosphere in the Pyramid was good, I was calm and confident to put on a good fight. After all I know my opponent well, we had fought four times before (two wins for each).
The fight started with both of us standing up, wrestling most of the time, no one wanted to be down. JT got me to take a 2-0 lead. I felt confident, but I saw the time passing and failed to progress. I decided to pull guard with two minutes left, JT did not enter my guard and ran deliberately.
He already had a verbal penalty, running away got him the second penalty and I received an advantage. It still wouldn't be enough, the score was 0x0 points and 2x1 in the advantages for him, I had less than two minutes to sweep him or get an advantage.
I started attacking nonstop, sweep after sweep until JT decided to attack too. Maybe he was afraid of receiving another punishment, he decided to stack me. As soon as he goes to stack I did a surprise choke, the choke was strong, JT made some noise but did not tap. I kept the choke for about 15-20 seconds but he managed to get out, and I received one more advantage for the dangerous submission attack.
The score changed, now it was 0x0 in points and 2x2 in advantages, but JT had one penalty. Fifteen seconds until the end of the fight, I already knew I would win!
At the end of the fight, I stood up celebrating and JT complained a lot. I have a clear conscience that I won; JT kept complaining and did not attend the podium. I find it a lack of respect but nothing would erase the glow of my first black belt world title. Coming from a cervical surgery, eight months without training and with only four months of training I was already the best in the world without a gi and gained more confidence for the 2013 season.
Tanquinho vs Cobrinha – Abu Dhabi World Pro 2013
April 2013, here I am in Abu Dhabi once again, I’m in another final, this time against Rubens Charles Cobrinha. I came back to defend my 2011 title, where I had my best performance in a championship so far, winning five fights and beating the current world champion.
I was halfway through my preparation for the IBJJF Worlds, that year the World Pro was just a test for me, as it had been the European and the Pans. I knew it wasn't 100 percent yet and I didn't want to be, my schedule was to be 100 percent at the IBJJF Worlds in June in California.
I also knew I was getting better every day and had already evolved since the Pan American in March. I had a quiet and calm tournament, I reached the final against Cobrinha who had eliminated me in the final of the European (2-0) and in the semi of the Pans. (4x4 and 3x1 advantages)
Despite the two losses I was very confident. It was going to be different. I was on the rise physically, technically and mentally.
In World Pro the rules are different, the fight is shorter, it's only six minutes. The fight began, I knew I had to have a good start, because it was in the beginning that Cobrinha had made important advantages against me at Pans that cost me the defeat.
Immediately I pulled guard and put him in my lasso. Cobrinha was still very strong at the start of the fight, I kept my controls. I feel he can't get out and I can sweep him whenever I want. I entered my lasso sweep and swept without difficulty.
I was leading by 2-0 in points but still four minutes and a half to go, I decided to try to pass his guard by stacking, not to offer any space. It was a tactic André Galvão used to beat Leandro Lo in the Pans Absolute final the following year in 2014.
I do not give space for Cobrinha, I kept trying to stack. I could not advance much but he also did not find an opportunity to return the sweep. End of the match, I won 2-0, I had the confirmation that my preparation is right for the IBJJF Worlds. I was still unbeaten in Abu Dhabi.
I fought World Pro two times and won both times. I was happy for the title but looking forward to returning to the US and continuing my preparation. I felt my head was stronger than ever.
Tanquinho vs Rafa Mendes – IBJJF Worlds 2013
Two years had passed since our last fight, the score was 1-1 between us, a split decision victory of the referees in my favor at the World Pro and a win for Rafael in the IBJJF Worlds final; both fights happened in 2011.
Immediately after my defeat I knew exactly what I would have to change to beat him again. But it was fate that I had to wait two years for the next confrontation. I was expecting to meet Rafael again in 2012, but a cervical hernia broke out between C6-C7 in late 2011 and I had to go to emergency surgery.
The diagnosis was not good. The neurosurgeon doctor clearly told me it would be the end of my career, with luck I could go back to teaching but compete? Never! In my mind I believed I could, but the discouragement and lack of perspective were evident.
The surgery was performed in November 2011, I fused the C6-C7 by fixing the cervical with a titanium plate and four screws. Even though the doctor was not optimistic about my return, I was, and I knew I would recover, only that I would be out of the loop in 2012.
I started in November 2011 for the 2013 Worlds. It was mental training, each physical therapy session, each progress was one step closer to my title.
Months later I could finally prove my recovery to the doctor, and he was amazed at my evolution and released me to return to training. I started training again, I was out of shape, but my mind was stronger than ever.
A few more months and we were at the 2013 Worlds, I had waited 18 months to fight Worlds again. This time I was no longer out of shape, I was very well trained and most important of all, my mind was ready for the title.
After four wins, winning the semifinal against the four-time world champion Rubens Cobrinha Charles, I reached the final once again. Once again I was against the now three-time world champion Rafael Mendes. Unlike 2011, this time I was oozing with confidence, it didn't look like I had cervical surgery or that the doctors weren't hopeful about my recovery. This time I knew what I needed to do to win.
We were in front of area number two in the famous pyramid, on a hot Sunday in Long Beach, CA. I was about to go in to fight the final, a movie of everything I went through going through mind, everything I went through and hoped for, in that minute I understood that this was the most important fight in the world.
I looked the other way and saw Rafael looking back at me and for a second or two, we made eye contact, it wasn't long but it was enough for me to have a reading of him. Rafael seemed worried, he didn't have the look of confidence that always showed. I, on the contrary, every minute closer to the beginning I was more confident.
I knew that to beat him I would need to get ahead on the scoreboard and make him frustrated. I would have to make him miss, but Rafael never makes mistakes.
The fight began and soon I score and I get ahead 2x0. The minutes passed and he could not sweep me; the frustration showed on his face. Right there I already knew that I would be the champion.
But once again he showed why he was different and almost got a sweep. He initiated a berimbolo entrance, and I started my defense that was working until that moment, only during the movement's entrance his foot grabbed my kimono coat and it gets me stuck and made me delay my defense.
The referee rushed past and took his trapped foot off my kimono, but he almost took my back. I had to give in a little, he was still winning by points, but he had an advantage. Four minutes left until the end of the fight and we were in 50/50 now, I knew it would be very difficult to stay four minutes in that position, so I had an idea of locking him in 50/50 and sitting down and giving him the points.
It sounded crazy, but I knew he was nervous to be behind the score and would go up anyway. I trusted that I could sweep him back near the end and that's exactly what happened, in the final minute I managed to sweep to his back.
He got up not to give me the points, I gained an advantage that tied the score. I was on my back and tried to jump to put the hook but couldn't, so I switched to a sweep and hit it. Time was up soon and I didn't have the three seconds of dominance for the points, so I gained another advantage and took the lead.
Arm raised, victory declared, at that moment I was not celebrating a world title, I did not celebrate having won against the current champion. At that moment I was only grateful to God for giving me the possibility to continue doing what I loved, and fighting at a high level. after surgery when doctors did not believe it was possible. I was happy to have crossed my limits, and to be able to execute the fight plan I had outlined in my mind two years earlier. I was finally able to win the gi world title.
Tanquinho vs Paulo Miyao – ADCC 2019
ADCC was the only title I didn't have yet. 2019 was my fifth attempt, my best placement had been third place in 2015. I knew I could do much better than that, the truth was that I never dedicated myself 100 percent for this championship.
In 2011 I fought at 77kg and did not do any physical preparation. With a week left for the ADCC I had my four wisdom teeth pulled and went to fight in great pain. In 2013, I returned to the 66kg but went through personal problems and hardly trained. In 2015 I decided to train, but I didn’t do physical training again, just focusing on the rolls. 2017 I had a fight scheduled for UFC two weeks after ADCC, I would fight a striker so focused exclusively on the training of standing and striking, besides my mind was only on the MMA fight ... the truth is that I never took my training, my preparation or diets for ADCC seriously. The level is too high at ADCC for someone to be champion without a serious dedication.
In 2019, even at 36 I bet on myself, I bet on my dedication, I felt inside me a motivation that I didn't feel for a long time. Maybe the last time I felt such a motivation to fight was in the IBJJF World Championship in 2013.
My motivation came mainly from fighting for my unborn child, my wife would be attending the event and I wanted to fight for them, and of course the motivation to win a title that I didn't have.
I did everything right, I planned out my training weeks, I did cardio, I hired a fight dietitian who made a total difference during the camp and during the fights.
I looked for the best training partners for me. It was six weeks of pure dedication, injuries showed up at the camp, I didn’t get discouraged. I focused on the title, my mind getting stronger, every week my confidence increased. I felt more technical, stronger physically, with a high level of fitness.
I felt ready, I know that any of the other 15 athletes in the category would have a hard time facing me, I had no preference, I could fight any of them, I was sure that for the first time I did everything in my power to fight an ADCC.
Of all the opponents I had my special attention set on one of them, Paulo Miyao. He was a media favorite, had a tough game to deal with, a crazy fight pace, he never got tired, and had already beaten me two times in the gi. I knew we were meeting at some point at this ADCC, I was ready for it.
I won my fights on Saturday and I qualified for the semifinal on Sunday, against Paulo Miyao. I went to the hotel to rest and cut the remaining weight, we had to make weight on Sunday too. started to come up with my strategy, talk about the strategy with my wife, my brother and my doctor/nutritionist; everyone accompanied me and helped me as much as possible.
I passed the strategy to them, my doctor/nutritionist started weight loss work. It was 7 pm Saturday, the weigh-in would be 5:30 am Sunday, and I need to lose 4kg (9lbs). My doctor/nutritionist is a genius, knows the importance of rest, he gave me dinner and sent me to sleep, gave me some supplements and I went to bed for a few hours. My head did not stop, I'm worried about not making weight, I started praying. Then I started thinking about Paulo and our confrontation to come, the strategy was ready.
Instead of thinking about it I start thinking how Paulo always showed his faith and how he was influenced by God, I laid in my bed and a voice in my heart that said to invite Paulo to pray with me after our fight, winning or losing my heart said to pray with him this prayer, for both of us together to thank God for changing our lives and through us more people know and hear about Jesus.
I went to sleep in peace, woke up at 4 am and checked my weight, I only needed to lose 800g (1.8lbs), I could not believe it! I did nothing to lose weight, had dinner, rested and slept. I knew that my doctor/nutritionist had done magic! I got in a hot tub to dehydrate and quickly get to the weight. I was the first to weigh in at the whole event, went back to my bedroom, and began the weight-recovery process.
On my way to the event venue, I did my traditional warm-up with my brother, my doctor/nutritionist is by my side with me monitoring me, and my wife pregnant with our son watches me work from a distance. I went into the fight with great confidence.
The first few minutes of the fight and Paulo came with everything, maybe he tried to accelerate thinking that he would get me tired like the other times I fought him. But this time I had dedicated myself, and made an impeccable physical preparation. I wasn’t tired, on the contrary, every minute that passed I became better.
In the second half of the fight I used the strategy planned for the first part, and I started to frustrate him. We went to overtime, I felt like it would be my chance to take him down and get my points. He surprised me and tried to take me down first, he used a loophole in the rules to pull to guard without being punished.
He had been smarter than me and I soon realized that my second part of the strategy had not worked. I stayed for about 10 seconds off-center, upset that I couldn't bring the fight where I wanted it and most important of all, I didn't have a plan B. I thought, I have to improvise now, I know the fight is even and the last five minutes will determine the winner.
I bet on my fitness and my desire to win, I decided to attack his guard without stopping for five minutes, did not give him a chance to attack me. It was all or nothing for five minutes and attacked nonstop, trying to pass in every way possible.
At the end of the fight, the score was tied. We went to the decision of the referees, I felt that I attacked more, but had already lost so many times by decision of the judges that I learned that no matter what I thought, the judges will see the fight however they want.
The decision went in my favor, I made it to the final. I had defeated the favorite and a great opponent, with the arm still raised by the judge I again felt that peace of the previous night and immediately remember inviting Paulo to pray together, he readily agreed, and right there in the middle of the fighting area where we gave our all for 15 minutes we prayed. After the prayer each one went to his side. I felt like the champion. I did not have the medal on my chest yet, there was still another fight, but that moment had been one of the most important of my career.
Watch: Tanquinho Vs Paulo From ADCC 2019
Original Story from FloGrappling here.
