The news of a sudden shift in the jiu-jitsu scene took social media by storm this Thursday, Dec. 7. 

One of the main representatives of the Rio de Janeiro-based GFTeam, black belt Gutemberg Pereira announced his departure from the group. The athlete released the information in an announcement on YouTube.

Arriving on the team as a junior blue belt, Gutemberg was one of the most decorated athletes in the GFTeam competitive scene, with titles won at Brasileiros and the Abu Dhabi World Professional, to mention a few. 

The news comes in the wake of the partnership between GFTeam and JiuArt, but Gutemberg was quick to deny that the union of the groups played any part in his decision to leave the team.

"There was speculation about whether or not I agreed with the JiuArt partnership, but it had nothing to do with it," Gutemberg told FloGrappling. "It was a matter of comfort zone. Nowadays the bar is very high and if you're not completely dedicated to your goals, you won't be able to reach them."

In a 6-minute video released on YouTube, an emotional Gutemberg spoke about his departure from the team, which was previously talked about and explained to the coral belt and leader of GFTeam Julio Cesar Pereira.

"It's just a change I needed at this stage in my career," Gutemberg said in the video posted on his YouTube channel. "Nothing happened. It was a decision made privately. I talked to my master and left with my head held high. Julio will never stop being my master, and I will never stop being GFTeam. My heart will always be there."

After 12 years representing the Rio de Janeiro team, the black belt born in Bahia spoke about his departure and left the questions about his new home for the coming seasons without an answer for now.