Overview
Art of Jiu-Jitsu (AOJ) is a grappling academy and team founded in 2012 by brothers Guilherme Mendes and Rafael Mendes in collaboration with RVCA founder Pat Tenore. Originally an affiliate of Atos Jiu-Jitsu, the academy is based in Costa Mesa, California and quickly became known for its technical precision, disciplined training environment, and strong youth development program.
In 2015, the Mendes brothers launched the Believe & Achieve scholarship program, offering select juvenile athletes full room and board, competition travel support, and access to world-class training. Early scholarship recipients included Caio Antonini and Johnatha Alves, chosen out of more than 1,000 applicants, followed later by athletes such as Tainan Dalpra. After retiring from competition in 2015 and 2016—with a combined ten world titles—the Mendes brothers focused entirely on growing AOJ.
The academy became especially recognized for its children's program. Notable early students included twin brothers Tye Ruotolo and Kade Ruotolo, who trained at AOJ from ages 10 to 14 before transitioning to Atos adult in 2017. In 2020, AOJ formally separated from Atos and began competing under its own affiliation. That same year, the academy promoted its first homegrown black belts from the kids’ program: Jessa Khan and Tainan Dalpra.
As the academy grew, AOJ quickly became one of the most successful competition teams in the world. Its athletes regularly reached the podium at major IBJJF events, earning multiple black belt world titles and establishing the academy as a dominant force in both gi and no-gi competition. With continued expansion and a growing roster of elite talent, AOJ remains widely recognized as one of the premier training centers in modern jiu-jitsu.
