Mica Galvão

Micael Ferreira Galvão was born in Manaus, Brazil, on October 8, 2003, and grew up on the mats. The son of coach Melqui Galvão, he entered his first tournament at age 4. At 10 he also started training luta livre, a Brazilian no-gi submission style in which he has been a black belt since March 2021, promoted by Totonho Aleixo.

His name spread beyond the Amazon scene in January 2019. A brand-new blue belt at 15, he submitted black belt Leandro Rounaud in a superfight at Copa Podio. That same year he won his weight class and the open class as a juvenile at five tournaments: Brazilian Nationals, South Americans, Europeans, Pans and Worlds.

He went from blue belt to black belt in less than three years. The promotion came on July 9, 2021, when he was 17. That November he became the youngest black belt champion ever at the Abu Dhabi World Pro, submitting every opponent in the 77 kg (170 lb) division.

In 2022 he won the IBJJF Worlds at lightweight at age 18 and took silver at ADCC, losing to Kade Ruotolo in the 77 kg final. The world title was stripped in April 2023, when USADA announced a positive test for clomiphene from a sample tied to the tournament. Mica accepted a one-year suspension, counted from July 2022.

The 2024 season is the most complete of his career. He won Europeans, Pans, Brazilian Nationals and Worlds, with 13 submissions in 16 matches, and in August he took ADCC gold at 77 kg. With all five titles in the same year, he became the second athlete in history to complete the Super Grand Slam.

“Today, at just 20 years old, being able to live my dream so young and win every possible title at black belt, I’m very happy and at peace.”

Mica Galvão, after completing the IBJJF Grand Slam, June 2024. Translated from Portuguese. Read the story (in Portuguese)

In 2025 he won the no-gi middleweight Grand Prix at BJJ Stars 15 and the Who’s Number One middleweight belt, beating Jonnatas Gracie. In May 2026 he announced the end of BJJ College, the team his father founded. He returned to competition at the New Jersey Spring Open, winning gold at medium-heavyweight and in the open class, and did not compete at ADCC in Kraków. His next event is The Crown on November 8.