On January 25, 2011, Rufino Gomes was murdered in João Pessoa, Paraíba, at just 26 years old. He was travelling home by motorcycle after finishing a class at Toca do Lutador when he was ambushed in a coordinated attack. Two assailants on a motorcycle fired the shots while a third accomplice, driving a grey car, cut off Gomes at an intersection to prevent his escape. He was struck three times — once in the head and twice in the torso. In a final act of extraordinary resilience, he dismounted and walked to the opposite side of the road before succumbing to his wounds.
Early police reports suggested the killing may have been connected to an altercation at a summer event known as 'Fest Verão', where Gomes had reportedly intervened to defend a friend who had accompanied him and his wife. The precise motive was never officially confirmed.
Gomes left behind a wife and a newborn child. Within the Checkmat community and across Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu more broadly, he is remembered as a fighter of exceptional promise — a man who dedicated himself equally to competing at the highest level and to building something meaningful for the next generation of grapplers in Paraíba. His death cut short a career and a life that, by every measure, still had its greatest chapters ahead.