From Manaus, Brazil, Mica Galvão is arguably one of the most exciting Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts in sport today.

Mica’s jiu-jitsu career started from an early age. His father, Melqui Galvão, was both an accomplished jiu-jitsu practitioner and a police officer. Seeking to spend more time with his dad, Mica joined him on the mat and never left.

A born athlete, Mica quickly demonstrated his proficiency in a number of martial arts. In addition to BJJ, he trained Luta Livre Esportiva, judo, wrestling, and beach-wrestling. His aptitude in such a variety of grappling styles has served him well in the jiu-jitsu circuit. However, Mica’s meteoric rise into the spotlight can be said to have begun in 2018, when the then-15-year-old blue belt submitted an experienced black belt at the Copa Podio. Since then, it has been nothing but gold.

Mica considers the highlight of his career to have been in 2024, when he achieved the incredible: a “Super Grand Slam”. That year, he won not only every major IBJJF tournament – Worlds, Pans, Europeans and the Brasileiros – but also the ADCC World Championship in the 77kg division.

It is rare to watch Mica compete and not see him execute one of – if not both – of his signature techniques: taking the back and the flying armbar. The ease in which Mica dominates the mat disguises the work he puts into it. As he notes, his champion mindset lies in “Being patient and consistent. A lot of times people are too impatient and want things immediately, but to be successful, it takes time and consistency.”

Some of Mica’s top accomplishments include:

• ADCC World Champion (2024)
• IBJJF World Champion (2024)
• IBJJF European Champion (2024)
• IBJJF Pans Champion (2024)
• 2x CBJJ Brasileiros Champion (2022, 2024)
• ADCC Brazilian Trials Champion (2022)
• AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (2021)

Athlete considers one of the pinnacles of his career to be representing Australia at the World Road Running Championships in 2023. “I try not to fan-girl too much, but I remember sitting in the hotel restaurant, looking around at the athletes in the room, and being in awe of their accomplishments,”. The experience left a lasting impression, inspiring him to continue building on his achievements in the years ahead. Athlete’s career hasn’t been without challenges. He’s faced injuries that disrupted his training, but his approach to recovery is both pragmatic and uplifting. “When injured, I try to surround myself with a positive environment and find joy in things I usually can’t do while training,”. Whether it’s reconnecting with friends over coffee or lightly kicking a football, Athlete embraces these moments as opportunities to reset.