Andre Galvao: BJJ Legend, ADCC Records and the Atos Team

Andre Galvao is one of the most accomplished competitors in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu history. Six IBJJF World Championships, six ADCC titles, founder of Atos Jiu-Jitsu, and the longest-reigning ADCC Superfight Champion before Gordon Ryan ended his run in 2022. This is the working profile: career, titles, team and legacy.

Andre Galvao at a glance

Attribute	Details
Full name	André Almeida Galvão
Born	18 July 1982, São Sebastião, São Paulo, Brazil
Age	43
Height	5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight class	Middleweight (82 kg), competed up to Absolute
Nationality	Brazilian
Belt	Black belt (red-and-black coral as of 2024)
Promoted by	Luiz Carlos "Lula" Dagmar and Fernando "Tererê" Augusto da Silva
Team	Atos Jiu-Jitsu (founder)
Major titles	6x IBJJF World Champion, 6x ADCC World Champion, 3x UAEJJF World Champion

For a Portuguese-language profile, see our André Galvão: A Lenda do Jiu-Jitsu Brasileiro page.

Early years

Andre Galvão was born on 18 July 1982 in São Sebastião, São Paulo, Brazil. He started in Judo as a child, but switched to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in his teens after his older brother started training. His first coach, Luiz Carlos "Lula" Dagmar, recognised his potential early and recommended he train with Fernando "Tererê" Augusto da Silva, one of the most influential BJJ coaches of the era.

Under Tererê, Galvao's career took off. He became the first competitor to win the IBJJF Grand Slam at purple belt level (Worlds, Pans, Brazilian Nationals and European Open in a single year), a feat that signalled what was coming at black belt.

Competition career

IBJJF World Championships (gi)

Galvao is a 6-time IBJJF World Champion across multiple weight classes and the Absolute division. His IBJJF dominance came in two main waves:

• Coloured belts: A string of titles culminating in the purple-belt Grand Slam.
• Black belt: Multiple World titles in the middleweight division and Absolute, including consecutive Absolute wins in the mid-2000s.

His IBJJF World rivalry with Marcelo Garcia and Lucas Leite defined his middle career. He lost to Garcia in 2006 and to Leite in 2007, but came back to win another World title in 2008.

ADCC dominance (no-gi)

ADCC was where Galvao left his deepest mark on the sport. His ADCC record:

• 2011: Won both his weight class and the Absolute division at the ADCC World Championships in Nottingham, England.
• 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019: ADCC Superfight Champion, defending the title at every edition.
• 2022: Defended the Superfight against Gordon Ryan and lost. This match was widely considered the changing of the guard at the top of no-gi grappling.

His total of 6 ADCC golds (across weight class, Absolute and Superfights) places him among the most decorated ADCC competitors in history. For more on the event, see our What is ADCC explainer.

MMA career

Galvao also competed in MMA, with a smaller but successful professional record. He won his first professional MMA match by armbar and went on to compete at promotions including DREAM. He stepped away from MMA to focus on BJJ competition and coaching after the early 2010s.

Fighting style

Galvao's competitive game was distinctive for combining elite BJJ technique with strong wrestling, which was unusual for his era. He attributed much of his ADCC success to a deliberate investment in wrestling skills, going against the more passive guard-based style that dominated BJJ competition at the time.

His signature elements:

• Aggressive takedowns built around double leg shots and Greco-Roman pressure
• Top-pressure passing with heavy hips and tight control
• Submission chains from dominant positions, particularly the back
• Cardio and athletic conditioning at a level above most of his contemporaries

The style would later be copied and refined by a generation of younger Atos competitors.

Founding Atos Jiu-Jitsu

In 2008, Galvao co-founded Atos Jiu-Jitsu with his friend and coach Ramon Lemos. The team was built around a competition-first culture, faith-based values (Galvao and Lemos are both evangelical Christians), and high training intensity.

Atos has since become one of the most successful competition teams in BJJ history. The team's roster has included or continues to include:

• Lucas Lepri
• Bernardo Faria
• Keenan Cornelius (at various points)
• Nicholas Meregali (before his move to New Wave)
• The Ruotolo brothers (in their early development)
• Multiple generations of Brazilian and American competitors

Atos has dominated IBJJF Worlds team standings repeatedly and continues to produce world champions in the gi and no-gi divisions. The team's headquarters is in San Diego, California, with affiliated academies worldwide.

The 2022 ADCC Superfight: end of an era

The 2022 ADCC Superfight against Gordon Ryan was the most-watched grappling match of the modern era. Ryan was a 7-to-1 favourite. Galvao was nearly 40, returning from injury, and defending a title he had held across multiple ADCC editions.

Ryan won decisively. The match marked the formal handover of the no-gi GOAT title to the younger generation. Galvao showed up, fought hard, and lost to a younger athlete operating at the peak of the Danaher system. The match is widely considered one of the defining moments of modern BJJ.

After 2022, Galvao stepped back from active competition and focuses on coaching and growing Atos.

Legacy

Galvao's lasting contribution to BJJ goes beyond his medal count. The things he changed:

• Wrestling integration into BJJ. Galvao made wrestling a normal part of high-level BJJ training years before it was standard. Modern competitors who win with wrestling-based takedowns owe part of that approach to him.
• Atos as a system. The team he built is one of the deepest competitive units in BJJ. Multiple world champions have trained out of Atos San Diego.
• Professionalism in BJJ. Galvao was an early advocate for treating BJJ as a real professional sport, including consistent training, conditioning, and competition scheduling at a level previously rare in BJJ.
• The Superfight reign. His five consecutive ADCC Superfight defences (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019) set the standard for what defending a championship looked like in submission grappling.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Andre Galvao? Andre Galvao is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, 6x IBJJF World Champion, 6x ADCC Champion, and co-founder of Atos Jiu-Jitsu. He is one of the most accomplished competitors in BJJ history.

How old is Andre Galvao? He was born on 18 July 1982, making him 43 in 2026.

Is Andre Galvao still competing? He retired from active high-level competition after losing the 2022 ADCC Superfight to Gordon Ryan. He continues to coach and run Atos Jiu-Jitsu.

Who beat Andre Galvao at ADCC 2022? Gordon Ryan beat Galvao in the 2022 ADCC Superfight. The match marked the end of Galvao's reign as ADCC Superfight Champion and is widely considered the moment Ryan formally took the no-gi GOAT title.

Who is Andre Galvao's coach? He earned his black belt under Luiz Carlos "Lula" Dagmar and Fernando "Tererê" Augusto da Silva. He now coaches alongside Ramon Lemos at Atos.

Where is Atos Jiu-Jitsu based? The Atos headquarters is in San Diego, California. Atos also has affiliated academies worldwide.

What is Andre Galvao's BJJ record? 6x IBJJF World Champion, 6x ADCC Champion (across weight class, Absolute and Superfights), 3x UAEJJF World Champion. One of the most decorated competition records in BJJ history.

How tall is Andre Galvao? He stands 5 ft 8 in (173 cm).

What weight class does Andre Galvao compete in? Middleweight (under 82 kg in IBJJF, under 88 kg in ADCC). He also regularly competed in the Absolute (open weight) division.

Who are some famous Atos black belts? Lucas Lepri, Bernardo Faria, Nicholas Meregali (formerly), Keenan Cornelius (at various points), and the next generation of Atos competitors continuing to come through the team.

The bottom line

Andre Galvao is one of the most accomplished competitors in BJJ history and one of the most influential coaches of the modern era. His IBJJF and ADCC records, his founding of Atos, and his role in integrating wrestling into elite BJJ training make him a defining figure of his generation.

The 2022 Superfight loss to Gordon Ryan ended his competitive reign but did not erase the body of work that came before. His legacy continues through Atos and the next generation of competitors he has coached.

For more on his rivals and successors, see our profiles of Gordon Ryan, John Danaher and the New Wave Jiu-Jitsu team. For more on the major events, see What is ADCC and our top BJJ athletes round-up.