Gui Mendes: 'Remember The Name Johnatha Alves'

In 2016, Johnatha Alves won double gold at Europeans, Pans, and Worlds as a juvenile and looked to be on the brink of a breakout year. However, as he turned his focus to winning the first-ever Royal Invitational, a freak shoulder injury sidelined the jiu-jitsu prodigy just when he was about to rise into the sport's mainstream.

One year later, the 18-year-old Brazilian has returned to competition in the lightweight division, and his sights are set on redemption at the Royal Invitational on Saturday, June 10, in Solana Beach, CA.

Watch the 2017 Royal Invitational LIVE on FloGrappling

Alves' shoulder injury required him to stop training altogether and return home to Brazil, where he received surgery and an extensive rehab period. As his banner year came to a grinding, sudden halt, Alves described the ordeal as one of the most challenging experiences he has ever dealt with in his young career.

Following a year of rehab, Alves returned to competition at last weekend's IBJJF World Championships, this time ready to take on the adult blue belt division. And even though he hadn't stepped on the mats competitively in 365 days, his success came roaring back as he submitted all of his opponents on the way to gold in the lightweight division.



On the podium, his coaches Gui and Rafa Mendes promoted Alves to purple belt, and it's easy to see why both Mendes brothers are so confident in Alves' abilities. They even went so far as to predict that Alvis will submit all of his opponents at this weekend's Royal.

That would be no easy feat, considering the Royal includes some of the biggest names in the colored belt divisions, such as Kennedy Maciel, Andy Tomas Murasaki, Jonnatas Gracie, Pedro Dias, and more.

Save the name, I'm telling you," Gui Mendes said. "I've been training a long time. I've seen a lot of good people, and I can count on one hand, three fingers, the people that have really surprised me and he is one of them.

Don't miss Johnatha Alves take on a loaded lightweight bracket at the 2017 Royal Invitational!

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