André Galvão is a Brazilian black belt from São Sebastião, São Paulo. Over two decades he won five IBJJF World titles at black belt, double gold at ADCC 2011 and four straight ADCC superfights. He co-founded Atos Jiu-Jitsu in 2008, built it into one of the leading competition teams from its San Diego base, and was released by Atos in February 2026.
Background and lineage
Galvão won IBJJF World titles at blue (2002), purple (2003) and brown belt (2004), taking the absolute at purple and brown as well. He received his black belt around 2005, and sources disagree on who promoted him. Wikipedia places him under Fernando "Tererê" Augusto, while BJJ Heroes credits Luis "Careca" Dagmar. He also holds a judo black belt and says he only began learning wrestling after moving to the United States in 2008. That year he co-founded Atos with Ramon Lemos; the Mendes brothers were the team's first black belts.
Competition highlights
- IBJJF World Championship: black belt gold in 2005, 2008, 2014, 2016 and 2017. BJJ Heroes notes the 2014 title was awarded after Felipe Pena tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
- ADCC: bronze in 2007 at −77 kg and in the absolute, silver at −88 kg in 2009, then double gold in 2011 at −88 kg and in the absolute, beating Rousimar Palhares and Pablo Popovitch in the finals.
- ADCC superfights: wins over Braulio Estima (2013), Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu (2015), Claudio Calasans (2017) and Felipe Pena (2019), then a loss to Gordon Ryan in 2022.
- Pan Ams: a string of black belt titles from 2005 to 2016, including weight and absolute double gold in 2008 and 2014.
Style and signature techniques
BJJ Heroes lists guard passing as Galvão's favourite technique, and his record shows a top player who finishes. His most common submissions on BJJ Heroes are chokes from back control (17), armbars (12) and the rear naked choke (6). He also has wins with the mounted cross choke, wrist lock and kimura. His 2008 World final against Braulio Estima ended with a choke from the back.
Notable matches
- Braulio Estima, Worlds 2008 final: a choke from the back for his second black belt world title.
- Chael Sonnen, Metamoris IV (2014): a rear naked choke on the UFC title challenger.
- Felipe Pena, ADCC 2019 superfight: a 2–0 win.
- Gordon Ryan, ADCC 2022 superfight: a rear naked choke loss that ended his superfight run.
MMA, books and 2026 departure
Galvão fought MMA from 2008, including DREAM's 2009 welterweight tournament and Strikeforce, finishing 5–2 with losses to Jason High and Tyron Woodley. In 2010 he co-wrote the training book Drill to Win with Kevin Howell. He is in the IBJJF and ADCC Halls of Fame. In February 2026 a former Atos athlete made sexual misconduct allegations against him, which he publicly denied. Several prominent members left the team, and on 4 February 2026 Atos announced the immediate, indefinite release of Galvão and his wife from their roles.