Gabriel Galvao

João Gabriel Galvão da Silva, or simply Gabriel Galvão, also often referenced as Caboja, is a professional jiu-jitsu athlete and a black belt under Meyram Maquine who first gained notoriety in the sport in the colored belt divisions of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) while representing teams such as Marcos Matos, Dream Art, and Fratres, under which he conquered many important titles.

Gabriel Galvão Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: João Gabriel Galvão da Silva

Nickname: “Caboja” (or Caborja) is the colloquial name of a swamp fish in Brazil, belonging to the same family as the Catfish. According to Gabriel in an interview given to BJJ Heroes in November 2024, the nickname was initially given to a childhood friend of his, but Galvão joked around with the name so often that it ended up sticking to him.

Lineage:  Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rickson G. > Jorge Pereira > Luiz Guilherme > Meyram Maquine > Gabriel Galvão

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF Sao Paulo BJJ Pro (2024)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2024 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2024 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF European Championship (2020 blue, 2024* brown)
• 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2021 purple, 2022 / 2023 / 2024 brown)
• 1st Place AJP Grand Slam, RJN (2019 blue, 2023 brown)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2023 brown)
• 2nd Place IBJJF European Championship (2024 brown)
• 2nd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2022* brown)
• 3rd Place AJP World Pro (2021 purple)

* Absolute
** Weight and Absolute

Favorite Position/Technique: Open Guard

Weight Division: Meio Pesado (88,30 kg / 195.0 lbs)

Team/Association: Fratres

Gabriel Galvão Biography

Gabriel Galvão was born on April 25, 2002, in Campo Formoso, in the Brazilian state of Bahia.

Martial arts were introduced to Gabriel at a young age. By the time he was 5 years old, he joined a local karate club but was quickly bored with the Japanese combat style as there was no sparring. He switched to judo shortly after where he remained for a few years, but after a move to a new neighborhood at the age of 10, Galvao was left with no option but to quit due to the lack of judo clubs which forced him to join a jiu-jitsu academy.

Joining coach Fidel Pinheiro’s BJJ school in 2012, Gabriel quickly gained a taste for the competition side of the sport. His ambition grew by the influence of Sérgio Rios. A local athlete who left the state of Bahia in search of a professional life in grappling and succeeded at the highest level.

To achieve his goals, Galvão joined Marcos Matos’ academy, another local instructor with a strong competition team. After a fantastic performance at the age of 17 at the European Championship, where Gabriel Galvão submitted all his opponents in the blue belt division, the young Bahia native was approached by Dream Art, a professional squad based in São Paulo with which he worked for a lengthy period as a colored belt.

As a brown belt, Galvão was offered a spot on another Brazilian pro-team, Fratres, which he joined in May 2023. He went on to receive his black belt from his Fratres teammate, Meyram Maquine, one year later, on the podium of the IBJJF World Championship.