Andre Galvao The 6x ADCC Champion Behind the Atos Empire

Andre Galvao is one of the most accomplished competitors in BJJ history and one of the most influential coaches of the modern era. Three time ADCC Champion, ADCC Superfight champion, three time IBJJF World Champion at black belt, and the founder of the Atos academy that produces more world class grapplers than any other team. This is the Galvao story.

Who Is Andre Galvao

Andre Galvao is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt born in 1982 in Sao Paulo. He started training BJJ as a child and earned his black belt under Ramon Lemos. He went on to a competition career that would put him on every all time greats short list, and a coaching career that has been even more influential.

The Competition Career

Galvao’s competition resume is enormous.

• 3x IBJJF World Champion at black belt
• 6x ADCC medalist including 3 gold medals
• 2x ADCC absolute medalist
• ADCC Superfight champion 2017 and 2019, defended against Felipe Pena
• Multiple IBJJF Pan and World Championship medals
• ADCC Hall of Fame inductee

His ADCC Superfight title was eventually lost to Gordon Ryan at ADCC 2022, in the symbolic generational handover from the 2010s era to the 2020s.

Founding Atos

Galvao founded the Atos Jiu Jitsu academy in San Diego in 2012, with Ramon Lemos as his original co-founder. The academy has grown to one of the largest competition teams in the world, with affiliates across multiple continents.

The Atos style is fast, aggressive sport BJJ, with strong guard play, modern leg attacks, and an obsession with finishing. The team has produced multiple ADCC medalists, IBJJF World Champions, and a deep pipeline of competitive grapplers across all weight classes.

Coaching the Ruotolo Brothers

Galvao is best known in the modern era as the coach of Kade and Tye Ruotolo. The twin brothers came up at Atos as teenagers and developed under Galvao into the most successful young grappling brothers in BJJ history. Galvao has been their primary technical coach throughout their careers.

He also coaches his nephew Mica Galvao, another generational young talent at Atos.

Coaching UFC Athletes

Galvao has been involved in coaching multiple UFC fighters on their BJJ. Israel Adesanya was promoted to BJJ purple belt by Galvao in December 2020. Other top MMA fighters have come through Atos for camp work over the years.

Galvao’s Influence on the Sport

Beyond his own competition resume, Galvao’s influence on modern BJJ runs through Atos, the Ruotolos, the dozens of black belts the team has produced, and the modern instructional content he has released. The BJJ world today is shaped in part by the Atos style and pace.

His persona is also notable. Galvao is famously intense in coaching but also widely respected for his integrity and his treatment of students. The Atos team culture has been exported with the team’s expansion globally.

Legacy

Andre Galvao is one of the most accomplished competitors and most influential coaches in BJJ history. The combination of his competition record, his coaching of the Ruotolos and other modern stars, and the Atos team itself put him in a category with very few peers. Marcelo Garcia and Roger Gracie are the names you mention alongside him.

Now retired from competition, Galvao continues to shape the next generation through Atos. The Ruotolos are his most visible students. Mica Galvao is the future. The legacy is still being written.