Andre Galvao: When The Legacy Began

By Riccardo Ammendolia

The man to beat at brown belt in 2004 was unquestionably Andre Galvao.

A protégé of Fernando Terere and originally from Sao Paulo, Galvao had one of the most complete and entertaining styles in the sport.

When Galvao competed at brown belt, it almost looked like he moved to the rhythm of the samba drums played by his hundreds of supporters from the Cantagalo favela, always there in full force.

From takedowns to sweeps to guard pull interceptions to amazing scrambles—which somehow always led to submission—Galvao simply made it look easy.

That year he had one of the most amazing campaigns ever, which included getting double gold at both the World Cup and IBJJF Worlds, held over back-to-back weekends and winning every match by submission.

Under the tutelage of Terere and Eduardo Telles, Galvao was destined for greatness. But, much like any superstar brown belt, his true worth would be determined at the next level, fighting with the world’s best “faixa pretas.”

Going into 2005 and now a black belt, Galvao was fighting on the front lines as one of the leaders of TT Team, due to the issues surrounding its founder, Terere, at the time.

It was now up to Galvao and Telles to take the team into competitions and continue to lead by example and win at the highest level. 

And Galvao did just that.

Competing and staying active as much as possible, Galvao fought in as many events as he could, all the while continuing to expand the TT army. 

Even more impressive, he was still able to achieve the same results and eventually became a world champion at black belt in his first year. 

And, so they say, the legacy of Andre Galvao was born. 

He would continue his winning ways and still competes today, but now under a new flag. Galvao continues to excel in technical innovation and leads the top jiu-jitsu team in the world: Atos.

2005 Worlds Finals Match