André Galvão gives up the final and Natã Tenca wins his first major title as a black belt
Professor and student reached the super-heavy final of the Pan No-Gi 2026 with three wins each. “I gave him first place,” the leader of Atos wrote
There was no match in the black belt super-heavy final of the IBJJF Pan No-Gi 2026. André Galvão, 44, gave up the final against his student Natã Tenca, who took the gold medal on Sunday, October 4, in Secaucus, New Jersey. Both told the story on social media after the tournament.
In jiu-jitsu, when two athletes from the same team reach a final, they can decide not to fight, and one of them takes the title.
“I gave him first place,” Galvão wrote. The leader of the Atos team said he went to the Pan No-Gi to test himself in the adult division and to feel the pressure of competition again. But he said the most special moment of the weekend was to finish the tournament next to his student.
What Natã Tenca said
Tenca called it his first major title as a black belt. He said his professor came to him before the final and told him he wanted the title to be his, because he knew how important this moment was for someone at the start of his black belt career. The champion thanked André and Angélica Galvão.
Tenca received his black belt from them in 2026, on the day he became a world champion at brown belt.
Three wins each
Professor and student reached the final with the same number of wins. Natã Tenca beat Jefferson Batista on Saturday. On Sunday, he beat Kasper Larsen and then Marcelo Gonzalez Montoro in the semifinal.
André Galvão beat Amr Ghoneim on Saturday. On Sunday, he beat Jean Luca Maltese (Alliance) and Sergio Vilas (Team Lloyd Irvin) to reach the final, in his return to competition.
On the same day, Sarah Galvão won her weight class and the open class, and Atos won the women’s team title.
Do you agree with André Galvão’s decision to give the title to his student? Leave your opinion in the comments.
