André Galvão is one of the greatest competitors in the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Both technical and explosive, his style led him to conquering practically every possible BJJ title and put him in the Jiu-Jitsu Hall of Fame. In his résumé there are world, European, Pan and ADCC titles.
In an interview at his San Diego gym, the Atos Jiu-Jitsu leader remembered his first black belt title, won in 2005, and compared it to the latest one, achieved this year.
“In the first one I was 22; it was my first year at the black belt; I used to fight in every tournament. This year was rough for me. I had some fights decided by judges, but I fought with my experience and played the right strategy. Experience makes a difference, and I believe in that. That is something the younger guys don’t have,” Galvão said.
Nearing his 34th birthday, André still isn’t thinking of retirement, but leaves his future open. “I don’t know whether I’ll fight at the Worlds next year, but I don’t think of retiring. I’m an athlete, and the thought of quitting is a very bad sensation.”
André talked about many other subjects, advising fighters on training frequency and injury prevention, and discussed daily lessons learned on the mat. Catch the full interview below.
