ANDRÉ GALVÃO

André Galvão is the most influential competitor-coach of the modern era after John Danaher and the founder of Atos Jiu-Jitsu, one of the two dominant competition teams of the 2010s and 2020s (alongside New Wave). Born in São Paulo in 1982, Galvão competed actively from 2003 through 2019 and won the ADCC absolute division in 2011, along with multiple IBJJF World titles and Pan-American Championships across his career.

Galvão's competitive style was characterized by aggressive forward pressure passing, wrestling-influenced takedowns (he trained extensively with Olympic-level wrestlers during his competitive career), and a tactical approach to the leg drag and knee cut that the Mendes brothers had refined. After founding Atos Jiu-Jitsu in San Diego in 2008, Galvão transitioned increasingly into coaching, and his pedagogical impact on the modern competition game rivals his own competitive achievements.

The Atos competition roster across the 2010s and 2020s under Galvão's coaching includes Tainan Dalpra (multiple IBJJF Worlds at lightweight and middleweight), Mica Galvao (no relation; multiple-time ADCC and IBJJF medalist), Lucas Hulk Barbosa, Gabi Garcia, and dozens of other elite-level black belts. The Atos vs New Wave rivalry that defines contemporary competitive grappling is structurally a coaching duel between Galvão and Danaher, and the 2022 and 2024 ADCC tournaments produced the most consequential head-to-head matches between the two teams in the sport's modern era. Galvão remains a primary head coach of Atos in 2026 and continues to develop the next generation of elite competitors.