The Galvão saga
The Atos / Galvão arc — coaching, controversy, the Mica era. Auto-curated.
Aug 19, 2026
Craig Jones Investigates Melqui Galvao Murder Case #Shorts
#BJJ #JiuJitsu #Shorts Craig Jones reports on criminal allegations against legendary BJJ coach Melqui Galvao dating back to 2011. Read the full article: https://bjjproblems.com/blogs/bjj-problems/craig-jones-melqui-galvao-murder-investigation-2011 #Grappling #MartialArts
Aug 19, 2026
Craig Jones Investigates Melqui Galvao Allegations
Craig Jones isn't a documentarian. He's not a journalist.
Jul 8, 2026
Teammates Silenced the Victims #Shorts
#BJJ #JiuJitsu #Shorts Former teammates discouraged abuse victims from reporting. When they spoke up anyway, the coaching staff was banned from competition. Read the full article: https://bjjproblems.com/blogs/bjj-problems/melqui-galvao-teammates-discourage-reporting-destroy-te
Jul 7, 2026
ADCC's Talent Drain Deepens: Mica Galvao Off Card
ADCC Worlds 2026 in Krakow is facing a talent drain that would look like a natural disaster if it were happening to any other promotion. Last week, ADCC removed Mica Galvao from the card—a move that should have sent shockwaves through the grappling community.
Jul 6, 2026
Two Golds, One Tournament, Zero Apologies #Shorts
#BJJ #JiuJitsu #Shorts Helena Crevar and Sarah Galvao both claimed gold at American Nationals. The women's division isn't asking for the spotlight anymore. Sources: - IBJJF American Nationals 2026: https://www.ibjjf.org/ #Grappling #MartialArts
Jul 6, 2026
Mica Galvão: Double Gold Return #Shorts
#BJJ #JiuJitsu #Shorts Mica Galvão dominates the New Jersey Open with back-to-back gold medals in two weight divisions. #Grappling #MartialArts
Jul 3, 2026
Melqui Galvao's Former Teammates Discouraged Victims From Reporting — 'You're Going to Destroy the Team'
Brazilian Deputy Alessandra Campêlo revealed a disturbing dimension to the criminal case against jiu-jitsu instructor Melqui Galvao: even while detained in a Manaus prison on sexual abuse charges, he was allegedly orchestrating an intimidation campaign against alleged victims, pr
Jul 2, 2026
Helena Crevar and Sarah Galvao Both Won Golds at American Nationals in Las Vegas — They Didn't Face Each Other
Helena Crevar and Sarah Galvao both left Las Vegas as American Nationals champions. Neither had to face each other to get there.
Jul 1, 2026
Mica Galvão's Double Gold Return at New Jersey Open
Mica Galvão didn't issue a statement. He didn't do the podcast circuit or the carefully-calibrated reemergence.
Jun 26, 2026
Josh Hinger Breaks Atos Silence on Galvão Allegations #Shorts
#BJJ #JiuJitsu #Shorts A black belt who built his reputation inside Atos publicly backed sexual assault allegations against André Galvão, breaking institutional silence. Read the full article: https://bjjproblems.com/blogs/bjj-problems/josh-hinger-breaks-atos-silence-andre-galv
Jun 24, 2026
Tainan Dalpra and Mica Galvão Have Never Competed at the Same IBJJF Major — The Sport's Two Best Active Gi Competitors Keep Missing Each Other
Dalpra has three world titles. Galvão has the Super Grand Slam.
Jun 23, 2026
Enoque Galvão Arrested on Sexual Assault Charges — Police Say He Smuggled Phone Into Jail to Pressure Witnesses
The legal troubles of the Galvão family deepened significantly when Enoque Galvão, brother of jiu-jitsu coach Melqui Galvão, was arrested on sexual assault charges strikingly similar to those already facing his sibling. The arrest marked another dark chapter in what had become an
Jun 22, 2026
Mica Galvao Broke Silence: Father Threatened Bullet in Head at Age 14, Pulled Gun on Pregnant Amit Elor
Mica Galvao broke five years of silence about his father, Melqui Galvao, with a statement that reframed everything the jiu-jitsu community had understood about one of the sport's most dominant coaching figures. The statement wasn't a vague allusion to "difficult childhood" or "to
Jun 22, 2026
Josh Hinger Backs Accusations Against André Galvão
Josh Hinger, a black belt coach who built his reputation inside the Atos system, publicly supported the sexual harassment and assault allegations made by Alexa Herse and Andressa Simas against André Galvão on May 24. Hinger didn't equivocate.
Jun 22, 2026
Andre Galvao Faced Second Accuser in Sexual Harassment Case After Purple Belt Andressa Simas Went Public
Andressa Simas, a purple belt and former Atos Jiu-Jitsu athlete, went public on May 23, 2026 with allegations of sexual harassment against André Galvão. According to her statement, she had filed a police report three months earlier—meaning the BJJ community had been operating lar
Jun 21, 2026
Olympic Wrestler's Melqui Truth Towers Above Insiders #Shorts
#BJJ #JiuJitsu #Shorts Amit Elor's response to the Melqui Galvão controversy stood out for its clarity and directness. While BJJ leadership fumbled, an Olympic wrestler spoke the truth everyone should have said first. Read the full article: https://bjjproblems.com/blogs/bjj-pro
Jun 19, 2026
Olympic Gold Medalist Amit Elor Broke Her Silence On Her Father-In-Law Melqui Galvao — 'Teach Your Sons To Respect Women'
When Melqui Galvao was arrested in Manaus on charges involving minors, three statements landed inside a 24-hour window. The charge sheet covered statutory rape of a victim under 14, sexual harassment, threats, and unauthorized access to electronic devices.
Jun 16, 2026
Mica Galvao Kills Mika Jiu-Jitsu #Shorts
#BJJ #JiuJitsu #Shorts Mica Galvao's dominance makes an emerging jiu-jitsu system completely unviable Read the full article: https://bjjproblems.com/blogs/bjj-problems/mica-galvao-kills-mika-jiu-jitsu-before-it-starts-completely-unviable #Grappling #MartialArts
Jun 16, 2026
Active Police Investigator Melqui Galvao Allegedly Used His Badge To Block Misconduct Complaints For Years. A 13-Minute Voice Memo Did Not Care.
Melqui Galvao wasn't coaching as a private citizen. He was an active civil police investigator in the state of Amazonas.
Jun 12, 2026
Sarah Galvao's Spring 2026 Run Left No Room for the P4P Debate—She Beat Pessanha, Then Won Two Divisions
The pound-for-pound conversation in women's gi jiu-jitsu stopped being abstract. Sarah Galvao made sure of it.
Jun 12, 2026
Mica Galvao Paused His New Academy Because His Father Made It 'Completely Unviable' — He Still Won't Say His Name
When Mica Galvão announced plans for his own academy in São Paulo, the BJJ world expected another chapter in the young phenom's meteoric rise. Instead, we got a masterclass in how family drama can derail even the most promising ventures.
Jun 11, 2026
Melqui Galvao Allegedly Used Prison Phone to Threaten Former Students Into Changing Testimony
When your defense strategy involves prison payphones and veiled threats, you might be Melqui Galvao. The embattled coach, currently awaiting trial on multiple charges, has allegedly been working the phones from his cell to pressure former students into altering their testimony.
Jun 11, 2026
BJJ World Champion Brenda Larissa Says Melqui Galvao Forced Her to Date a Boy From the Academy as Cover — Detailed on Camera
She was twelve years old when Melqui Galvão began grooming her. She was a world champion by the time she found the words to describe what happened.
Jun 11, 2026
Melqui Galvão Enters Formal Interrogation Phase in São Paulo — What Happens Next in Brazil's Criminal Process
When Melqui Galvão was transferred to a civil police prison in São Paulo on May 10, the jiu-jitsu world watched a case move into territory that most of the sport had never seen at this scale before. By May 12 — just 20 days ago now — the case against him had crossed a critical th
Jun 11, 2026
When Mica Galvão Dissolved BJJ College And Launched MJJ — A 21-Year-Old Forced To Rebuild After His Arrested Father's Charges
When the fallout from Melqui Galvão's arrest was still fresh enough to sting, his 21-year-old son Mica posted a clean graphic to Instagram and ended a 15-year project in two paragraphs. BJJ College, the team his father had built from the ground up, the team that had produced Mica
Jun 11, 2026
When Mica Galvão's Rebranding Lasted Exactly 96 Hours
Something happened at BJJ College that crystallized one of grappling's most persistent structural problems in real time. That's how long Mika Jiu-Jitsu lasted before it was put on indefinite hold.
Jun 11, 2026
How Mica Galvao Named His New Team After Himself—While Walking Away From One Named After His Father
The jiu-jitsu world watched something rare unfold: a clean organizational break, executed without the usual corporate apologies or half-measures. When Micael "Mica" Galvão announced he was leaving Melqui Galvão Jiu-Jitsu and launching Mika Jiu-Jitsu, the move wasn't just a name c
Jun 11, 2026
Melqui Galvao: Police Power, Blocked Complaints #Shorts
#BJJ #JiuJitsu #Shorts ADCC champion Melqui Galvão held two positions: competitive legend and active police investigator. Allegations emerged that he used his law enforcement authority to block complaints in the BJJ community, exposed by voice memos. #Grappling #MartialArts
Jun 11, 2026
When Mica Galvao Killed Mika Jiu-Jitsu Before It Started — 'Became Completely Unviable'
Mica Galvao made a decision, then unmade it just as quickly. The gap between announcement and reversal was so compressed that Mika Jiu-Jitsu never even got a proper logo.
Jun 10, 2026
When Insiders Step Back #Shorts
#BJJ #JiuJitsu #Shorts Nicholas Meregali publicly distanced himself from the Galvao plea, breaking ranks and acknowledging what happens behind closed doors. Read the full article: https://bjjproblems.com/blogs/bjj-problems/meregali-steps-back-galvao-plea-many-of-those-people-pa
Jun 10, 2026
Nicholas Meregali Steps Back From Galvao Plea — 'Many Of Those People Are Also Part Of It'
Nicholas Meregali — three-time IBJJF World Champion and the loudest name in professional BJJ pressing on the Melqui Galvão case — made a very public plea. On April 28, he posted an Instagram video asking victims to come forward with a specific ask: contact him directly and he'd r
Jun 10, 2026
Diogo Reis's First Fight Without Melqui Galvão's Team — ONE Fight Night 43 Became a Test Nobody Planned
Diogo Reis stepped onto the mat in Bangkok on May 15 for what should have been a routine title defense. Instead, it became something far more complicated: the first real glimpse of one of submission grappling's brightest talents operating without the institutional scaffolding tha
Jun 10, 2026
Mica Galvao Broke His Silence — Condemned 'Violence Against Women And Children' In General But Did Not Address His Father By Name
When Melqui Galvao turned himself in to Manaus police on a São Paulo arrest warrant referencing alleged sexual crimes against minors, his son Mica posted a statement about seven hours later. The statement was short.
Jun 10, 2026
Melqui Galvão: How A Tenured Police Instructor Allegedly Abused Three Students — One Just 12 — While His Federation Stayed Silent
The headline detail that no story about Melqui Galvão could seem to top was almost absurd in its specificity: the man was on the Amazonas state payroll as a sworn Civil Police investigator with a sub-specialty in teaching other officers personal-defense techniques. That alone wou
Jun 7, 2026
Livia Barasine Emerges as First Named Competitor on Record in Galvão Case
When Livia Barasine released her statement on May 4, the jiu-jitsu community got its first named adult face attached to the allegations against coach Melqui Galvão. She didn't emerge from anonymity because she'd been hiding.
Jun 7, 2026
Brazilian Deputy Reveals Melqui Galvão Called Former Students From Prison to Pressure Testimony Changes
Brazilian state Deputy Alessandra Campêlo made a public revelation that shifted understanding of the Melqui Galvão case from institutional crisis into something darker: active, ongoing obstruction from inside a jail cell. Galvão had been locked up in a Manaus facility for roughly
Jun 2, 2026
Mica Galvao Closed BJJ College And Launched Mika Jiu-Jitsu — Diogo Reis Already Out, Andrey Still 'Evaluating'
Something genuinely chaotic unfolded in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Mica Galvao started the week employed by his father's organization.
Jun 2, 2026
Melqui Galvao Allegedly Kept Intimidating Witnesses From Inside Prison
Brazilian state deputy Alessandra Campêlo made allegations that transformed what was already a serious case into something darker and more calculated. When Galvao was arrested on April 28th, the prosecution had something damning: a 13-minute audio recording of him apparently nego
Jun 2, 2026
San Diego Closed The Galvão Case For 'Insufficient Evidence.' A Second Atos Athlete Came Forward Anyway.
The tidy version of the André Galvão story was supposed to end on May 1, when San Diego authorities closed the case for insufficient evidence and no charges were filed. A named athlete inside Atos did not get the memo.
Jun 2, 2026
An Atos Black Belt Just Said Both Galvão Accusers Are Telling The Truth
For months, Atos had a tidy way to file the André Galvão allegations: jealous outsiders, disgruntled ex-students, a smear campaign. Then one of their own black belts opened his mouth.