Mica Galvão

Micael Ferreira Galvão—known worldwide as Mica—was born on October 8, 2003, in Manaus, capital of Amazonas, Brazil. Grappling was family life from the start: his father, Melquisedeque “Melqui” Galvão, a BJJ and Luta Livre black belt and longtime police investigator, put him on the mats as a toddler. Mica entered his first tournament at four. At ten he added Luta Livre Esportiva (Brazilian catch wrestling) under Master Totonho Aleixo—later earning a Luta Livre black belt in March 2021—and also trained judo, freestyle wrestling, and beach wrestling. Melqui’s social program Projeto Nandinho (and earlier ties to Dream Art / Alliance pathways in Amazonas) shaped the competitive environment around the Galvão siblings, including Mica’s sister Sammi.

As a colored belt Mica became a regional and then international phenomenon—finishing adults in superfights, sweeping juvenile majors, and earning notoriety in January 2019 as a 15-year-old blue belt when he submitted IBJJF Manaus Open adult black belt champion Leandro Rounaud at Copa Podio’s Orange League. Belt promotions came at breakneck pace under Melqui: blue (December 2018, age 15), purple (November 2019, age 16), brown (October 2020, age 17), and BJJ black belt on July 9, 2021, still only 17—one of the youngest male black belts of the modern era. Even before the black belt he was beating elite professionals on Flo’s Who’s Number One circuit and winning AJP Grand Slam and World Pro titles, briefly representing Fight Sports after a 2021 partnership with Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu’s organization.

Black-belt impact was immediate. In late 2021 he became the youngest AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro black-belt champion (−77 kg), submitting his way through the bracket. In 2022 he won the ADCC Brazil Trials, the BJJ Stars 8 middleweight grand prix (over Leandro Lo and Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa), CBJJ Brazilian Nationals, and—at 18—defeated Tye Ruotolo to become the youngest IBJJF World black-belt champion. That Worlds gold was later vacated after a USADA positive for clomifene (USADA described a physician-prescribed medication without a therapeutic-use exemption); he accepted a one-year suspension from July 2022. At ADCC 2022 in Las Vegas he still took silver at −77 kg, losing the final to Kade Ruotolo by inside heel hook after a deep run that included wins over Oliver Taza and Renato Canuto.

After the sanction window and an MCL injury in 2023, Mica rebuilt through open tournaments and pro shows, capturing the Who’s Number One 170 lb title (and subsequent defenses) and helping establish Melqui Galvão Jiu-Jitsu / BJJ College as an independent affiliation after the family’s 2023 split from Fight Sports. The 2024 season defined his place in history: IBJJF European, Pan, Brazilian Nationals, and World Championship golds in the same calendar year (Grand Slam), then ADCC World Championship gold at −77 kg in Las Vegas—submitting Luiz Paulo and Vagner Rocha and beating Oliver Taza and PJ Barch—completing the rare Super Grand Slam (four major IBJJF titles plus ADCC in one year). He was only the second athlete ever to do so in a single season and the youngest to achieve it. Flo and peer awards widely recognized him as male grappler of the year for 2024.

In 2025 he continued stacking pro titles, including the BJJ Stars 15 middleweight no-gi grand prix and a Who’s Number One middleweight (185 lb) win over Jonnatas Gracie, while holding belts across WNO and BJJ Stars divisions. He was promoted to first-degree BJJ black belt in 2024. Outside competition he has been open about vegetarianism for animal welfare, enlisted in the Brazilian Army (third sergeant), and pursued freestyle wrestling ambitions alongside engagement to Olympic wrestling champion Amit Elor. In 2026, following serious criminal allegations against Melqui Galvão and the coach’s removal from the IBJJF ecosystem, Mica rebranded the competitive project as Mika Jiu-Jitsu (MJJ), stepping into leadership of the team’s next phase. His game is famously well-rounded—armbars, back attacks, bow-and-arrow chokes, guillotines, and opportunistic leg locks—with a submission-heavy record that spans gi majors and no-gi’s highest stages.