This week saw Brazilian Jiu Jitsu legend Andre Galvao sign a contract with ONE MMA which was announced by the man himself as well as ONE founder Chatri Sityodtong. This came after Andre Galvao has previously spoken about returning to MMA earlier in the year.
Currently, there are two BJJ Champions in the ONE promotion – both Garry Tonon and Marcus Buchecha. Previously, Gordon Ryan also signed with the Singaporean promotion to do a number of grappling exhibition matches, albeit this collapsed due to ill health. Before this, Tom DeBlass had also signed with ONE before halting his MMA return due to injury. It’s fair to say that Sityodtong loves BJJ.
As it’s understood, this will be an MMA return for Galvao, and not a grappling contract like the one Gordon Ryan previously signed. For those out of the loop, Galvao is no stranger to MMA and has a pro record of 5-2, last fighting against Tyron Woodley in 2010 where he lost in Strikeforce. Since then, it’s fair to say that Galvao has come a long way and his grappling has improved with his age.
Speaking of age, Galvao is currently 39 years old and although he’s in great physical shape, time is still ticking so he will be eager to make a quick impact if he has dreams of MMA glory. Undoubtedly, BJJ fans will be eager to see Galvao in the cage and whether his technique and superior grappling will translate when strikes are involved.
