On record, this is a one-sided series. Kennedy Maciel has beaten João Mendes in all 5 of their recorded meetings, giving Mendes an 0-5 mark in the rivalry. All 5 bouts were gi matches, and all came in 2019 and 2020, spread across events like the 2019 IBJJF Los Angeles Pro Championship, where Maciel took the final, and the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Miami, where he beat Mendes twice in the same 2020 bracket.

The method tells the story. 4 of the 5 wins came by points, with the fifth logged as another method rather than a submission. So while Maciel closed these matches out, he did it on the scoreboard against Mendes rather than by finishing him. That fits the wider picture: Maciel's recorded submission rate on wins is 42% with the Rear Naked Choke as his most frequent finish at 8 wins, while Mendes sits at 19% submission rate on wins.

The broader records are closer than the head to head suggests. Maciel is 73-28 on record for a 72% win rate, and Mendes is 54-25 for 68%. The gap in their meetings was decided by who controlled position and points in the gi, not by a skill chasm in overall results.