André Galvão returned to competition at the IBJJF Pan No Gi this October in New Jersey, and now he faces a challenge unlike anything he has built on the mats. Based in the United States, the multiple-time Jiu-Jitsu champion is heading back to Rio de Janeiro to go face-to-face with Rousimar ‘Toquinho’, a former UFC fighter and an iconic figure in MMA. Their matchup headlines ACBJJ 23, which takes place on November 13 in Rio de Janeiro.
This won’t be a no-gi Jiu-Jitsu match. Galvão and ‘Toquinho’ will meet in ACBJJ’s ‘Battle’ format, a hybrid grappling contest with punches and kicks allowed. The ruleset sits somewhere between Jiu-Jitsu, where the action happens on the ground and is decided by points and submissions, and MMA, known for its heavier strikes. According to the promotion’s official poster, the bout will be contested at 100kg.
ANDRÉ GALVÃO RETURNED TO THE MATS AFTER FOUR YEARS AND REACHED THE SUPER-HEAVYWEIGHT FINAL AT THE PAN NO GI
Galvão’s return to major competition had already stirred up the community. Initially registered in the master 3 heavyweight division, he changed plans on the eve of the Pan No Gi and moved up to the adult division at super-heavyweight. In New Jersey, the veteran advanced through the bracket, secured a spot in the quarterfinals and made it all the way to the final. There, he closed out the division with his student Natã Tenca, who took the title and is already set to debut at UFC BJJ 13.
Before the Pan, Galvão had not competed professionally in four years. His last appearance came in 2022, in an ADCC superfight against Gordon Ryan, which closed a winning cycle at the IBJJF Worlds and at ADCC itself. At the most prestigious no-gi grappling tournament, he won gold at 88kg and the open class in 2011 and, as champion, won the superfights at the 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 editions. Now he is preparing to add a brand-new experience to his résumé: a fight with strikes.
It won’t be the first time ‘Toquinho’ and Galvão are on a collision course. At the 2011 ADCC World Championship, the two battled for gold in the 88kg final, the same division now held by Poland’s Pawel Jaworski. That day, André took the title with a 9-4 win on points.
A LEG LOCK SPECIALIST, ‘TOQUINHO’ MADE HIS NAME IN MMA AND BRINGS THE EXPERIENCE OF SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO STRIKE AND SUBMIT
Rousimar Palhares, known as ‘Toquinho’, is a Jiu-Jitsu black belt who started training the Gentle Art at 15 in Minas Gerais. In MMA, he built a career in the UFC, in World Series of Fighting (WSOF), where he won the welterweight title, and in promotions across Europe and Russia. Leg locks have always been his specialty: of the 16 submission wins on his record, 12 came from leg attacks, highlighted by the feared heel hook.
The same weapon that made the Minas Gerais native famous also brought controversy. Palhares was released by the UFC after being slow to let go of a heel hook and, years later, lost his WSOF title and was suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission for holding a kimura past the tap against Jake Shields. That history only adds to the intrigue around the matchup with Galvão, a ground specialist who will now face an opponent used to trading strikes inside the cage.
RODOLFO VIEIRA AND KELVIN GASTELUM ROUND OUT THE ACBJJ 23 HEADLINERS IN RIO DE JANEIRO
ACBJJ 23 has another big matchup in store for the co-main event. Rodolfo Vieira, “The Black Belt Hunter”, faces American Kelvin Gastelum in a No Gi bout at 90kg. Both are currently under contract with the UFC and compete at middleweight, but they have never crossed paths in the Octagon. The matchup marks another return to Rio for Rodolfo, who submitted Derek Brunson in the ADXC 7 main event in November 2024.
With Galvão, ‘Toquinho’, Rodolfo and Gastelum on the card, the Rio event brings Jiu-Jitsu legends and well-known MMA names together on the same night, with two different competition formats. The promotion has not yet announced fight times or the rest of the ACBJJ 23 card. For Galvão, the night of November 13 will show how far the Jiu-Jitsu of one of the most decorated athletes in history holds up once punches and kicks come into play.
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
