Eight athletes announced on Monday that they would be leaving the Dream Art team. Those athletes include the two-time IBJJF World Champion Erich Munis, who won the BJJ Stars 10 absolute title on Saturday representing Dream Art.

FloGrappling has confirmed that all eight competitors plan to join Fratres Jiu-Jitsu.

Joining Erich Munis in his departure, are his brothers Alex, Anderson, and Dione Munis; IBJJF World champion Meyram Maquiné; IBJJF Pan Champion Yara Soares; IBJJF European champ Yatan Bueno; and the brown belt Giovanna Jara, an ADCC veteran who has earned double gold at every major event she’s entered as a brown belt.

Earlier this year, two-time IBJJF European champ Thalyta Silva also left Dream Art to join Fratres. 

One of the founders of Fratres Jiu-Jitsu, Daniel Affini, spoke exclusively with FloGrappling about the transfers.

“This is another step towards what we intend to accomplish. Initially, we were counting on this [bringing all eight athletes from Dream Art], but we were working with a margin of error. The acceptance exceeded our expectations, and we brought all the eight athletes, which was our goal”, told Affini.

While Fratres Jiu-Jitsu team was founded one year ago, the competition program is just nine months old. Each of the eight athletes, including the colored belts, signed a 2-year contract with Fratres. That reflects the contract that Silva signed when she joined the team in February.

A tax lawyer by trade, Affini responded to the critics of the move and those who would use the pejorative “creonte,” when referring to athletes who change teams.

"This is a standard move in my field,” he said. “I have a long jiu-jitsu journey. I’m about to get my third degree on the black belt, and I feel sorry for people who think that kind of thing. This is not about loyalty. This is about jiu-jitsu becoming professional.”

“People should celebrate this more because it is an appreciation of the athlete and the sport,” Affini said.

Furthermore, Affini suggested that athletes are attracted to Fratre's program because the contract allows the athlete to live the life of a professional athlete.

“When you give athletes a chance to dedicate themselves to the sport instead of having to teach hundreds of classes a day and have only to compete, that's a big deal," Affini said.

The IBJJF Brasileiros begins next week. It will mark the Munis brothers' first appearance as Fratres athletes, except for Anderson who is not registered. Their affiliation has already been changed. As of time of publication, Giovanna Jara is still registered for Brasileiros under Dream Art.