Mica Galvao is back in the gi, and he picked the hardest room in the sport for his return. The 23-year-old Brazilian won the 2026 IBJJF Crown after sitting out most of the year, beating three opponents in a single day and closing the bracket with a technical win over Andy Murasaki in the final. MMA Mania’s Anton Tabuena reported the results Monday.
The final is what makes this one stick. Murasaki came in as the back-to-back Crown champion, the guy who had owned what Tabuena called the biggest professional gi event around, and Galvao beat him with the kind of tight, detailed jiu-jitsu that doesn’t usually show up after a long stretch away from competition. Tabuena wrote that the run showed Galvao is still a top pound-for-pound talent despite the time off.
That’s a big claim, and the résumé backs it up. Galvao was the 2024 Super Grand Slam champion, which put him at the top of the gi world before this year went sideways. He hasn’t competed in a professional event since his father and coach, Melqui Galvao, was arrested. According to MMA Mania, Melqui Galvao faces serious sexual assault cases involving several young students.
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The rest of the Crown
Galvao wasn’t the only repeat headline. Sarah Galvao, described by MMA Mania as a second-generation jiu-jitsu phenom, beat Elisabeth Clay and two other opponents to become a back-to-back Crown champion.
At the top of the weight classes, the streaks kept rolling. Erich Munis and Gabi Pessanha won the heaviest male and female divisions again, and both are now four-time Crown winners. That means neither has lost a Crown since the event started. Four for four is a number I’d respect even on a horse.
Joao Mendes also won his bracket, and Fellipe Andrew took his division to become a two-time Crown winner.
MMA Mania’s report didn’t say what Galvao has lined up next, and nothing in the coverage points to a specific event or opponent.
Quick take
I have a standing rule about competitors coming off long layoffs. Don’t lay chalk on them, because rust is real and ring time doesn’t come back in a hotel gym. Galvao just made that rule look dumb for one Sunday. Three matches in a day tests your gas tank as much as your technique, and he saved the toughest one for last against a guy who had won this exact tournament two years running. If somebody had offered me Galvao at plus money back in January, I’d like to tell you I would’ve hammered it. I wouldn’t have. I’d have taken Murasaki, the safe two-time champ, and I’d be writing this column with my wallet a little lighter. The kid sat out most of 2026 and came back to beat the best guy in the bracket on the biggest gi stage there is. File it under data that breaks a narrative, and keep an eye on his next entry list.
