André Galvão "Deco"

André Galvão was born September 29, 1982, in São Sebastião, on the coast of São Paulo state, Brazil. He began training judo and jiu-jitsu in the mid-1990s, earning a judo yellow belt before financial pressure forced him to stop training for a period to work and support his family. He resumed jiu-jitsu around 1999 under Luis Carlos "Careca" Dagmar, climbing through the colored belts with World Championship results at blue and purple belt, before beginning to train extensively with Fernando "Tererê" Augusto around 2003. Tererê promoted him to black belt in 2005, and Galvão won his first IBJJF World Championship title within three months of the promotion — a rare feat at that level.

Galvão built a résumé that spans both major disciplines of the sport. In the IBJJF gi format he won World Championship titles across multiple years and weight classes between 2002 and 2017, along with numerous Pan American titles. In no-gi, he became one of ADCC's most decorated competitors: six ADCC World Championship titles overall, headlined by a double-gold performance in 2011 where he won both his weight division and the open-weight absolute bracket in the same tournament. He went on to win four consecutive ADCC superfight titles (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019) before losing the superfight to Gordon Ryan in 2022, a result that effectively closed out his run at the top of the no-gi rankings. Galvão also competed professionally in MMA for organizations including Strikeforce and DREAM, compiling a 5-2 record with a win over Tyron Woodley among his highlights, though grappling remained his primary focus throughout his career.

Beyond his own results, Galvão's biggest impact on the sport may be as a builder. In 2008 he co-founded Atos Jiu-Jitsu with Ramon Lemos, relocating the team's headquarters to San Diego in 2010. Under his coaching, Atos grew into one of the most decorated competition teams in the world, producing a long list of black belt world champions and becoming a destination academy for elite grapplers relocating from Brazil. He also authored the instructional book "Drill to Win: One Year to Better Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu," widely used by competitors developing structured training regimens, and was inducted into both the ADCC Hall of Fame (2021) and the IBJJF Hall of Fame (2022).

Galvão's standing in the sport was significantly disrupted in early 2026. In February 2026, a former Atos training partner, Alexa Herse, publicly accused him of sexual misconduct, and additional allegations followed from other individuals connected to the school. Galvão denied the claims, stating in a public response that they were false and that he was pursuing legal action to protect his and the team's reputation. Days later, Atos Jiu-Jitsu announced it was separating Galvão and his wife, Angelica, from all leadership roles within the organization he had co-founded eighteen years earlier. Multiple affiliated gyms and athletes subsequently cut ties with Atos amid the fallout. As of this writing, no criminal charges or law enforcement findings have been publicly confirmed, and the situation remains unresolved. His competitive legacy — six ADCC titles, six IBJJF World titles, and the Atos program he built — is being reassessed by much of the BJJ community in light of these developments.

Explosive, judo-influenced takedowns paired with relentless top pressure and a wide submission arsenal