Last weekend, two of the newest Atos brown belts, Sarah Galvao and Lillian Marchand, debuted at the AJP Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour—Rio de Janeiro, competing against black belts.

Both athletes were promoted to brown belt one month ago after winning the 2024 IBJJF Worlds in the purple belt division in their first year competing as adults—they were juveniles until 2023. Now, Sarah is 18 years old and Lillian, 17.

They are now climbing higher mountains in the professional division, showcasing beautiful jiu-jitsu and representing the new generation of Atos athletes.

Sarah Galvao Defeated The Number 1 AJP World Ranked

Sarah has been competing at the AJP since 2022, when she was a juvenile blue belt, and has racked up golds since then. This time, in the professional brown/black belt division, she had a different experience of facing black belts in her first month as a brown belt.

She had four matches, three of which were against black belts. In the quarterfinals, she defeated the 2023 IBJJF European brown belt champion Maria Luisa Delahye (GF Team). Delahye was promoted to black belt the day after the tournament. 

In the semifinals, Galvão beat the AJP’s top-ranked athlete and two-time Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion and IBJJF European Champion Júlia Alves (GF Team). For the gold, Galvão defeated the current Gi and No-Gi CBJJ Brazilian National Champion Vitória Vieira (GF Team).

“I can finally say I have made a name for myself and made history,” Galvãosaid in an exclusive interview for FloGrappling. “I have no words because I have achieved so much so young in a short time. I hope with all that I’m doing, I’m inspiring the new generation, especially the females in jiu-jitsu. I showed that it was possible and will continue striving for more records.”

After winning, Galvão said she’s not satisfied, and wants more:

“There’s always so much to improve, and that’s the beauty of jiu-jitsu; you can never stop learning. Even after winning, I knew I had to do more, work, and train more. I’m always trying to beat my past self. I wasn’t intimidated by anyone because everyone is human, so whatever I’m feeling, they’re feeling it as well.”

Her last three matches were against GF Team athletes in their hometown, and the crowd favored her opponents, which didn’t intimidate Sarah.

“Each time I defeated a GF Team member, they kept getting louder and louder, and it didn’t bother me,” she said. “Fighting when a big crowd makes noise is a lot more fun. I think it motivates me more.”

Sarah was counting on her teammates in the crowd, including her friend Lillian Marchand, who competed in the middleweight division and stands alongside Sarah as another representative of Atos' new generation. 

“Lillian and I are part of the dream team at Atos,” Sarah said. “We have one of the strongest female teams in jiu-jitsu right now, and we must keep it up. So it makes me more than happy to inspire the new generation, hoping they can learn from us and be even better.”

After the result, Sarah was debuted in FloGrappling’s Lightweight Female Gi Ranking at no.5. She is the only brown belt in the ranking. She also earned AJP points, putting her at no.2 in the official 2024-25 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour Ranking.

From Canada to Rio de Janeiro, Lillian Marchand Debuts as Brown Belt

Although Lillian Marchand didn’t get on the podium, the 17-year-old Atos brown belt had a notable performance. It was her first tournament as a brown belt, receiving the rank one month earlier. 

“Competing against black belts was such a cool experience, especially since I was still a juvenile only 8 months ago,” Marchad said. “I’m very happy that I was able to prove to myself that I can compete at the highest level, and now I’m even more excited to go back.”

In her first two matches, she submitted two black belts in less than two minutes, won her quarterfinals by points, and lost in the semifinals via points to Giovanna Carneiro (Fratres Jiu-Jitsu).

Lillian said she chose to compete in AJP in her brown belt debut after talking with Andre and Angelica Galvao, and found it as an opportunity to prepare herself not only for her brown belt season but also for the following years. 

“I had nothing to lose and everything to gain,” Lillian said. “So I took that chance and gave my best. And if I can start now, imagine how much more I can grow as an athlete and person by the time I am a black belt.”

Lillian said she was impressed by the energy in the crowd at AJP this year, her third time competing in Brazil.

“When I’m in the warmups or bullpen, I don’t listen to music, so I was able to hear how loud and passionate the crowd was and it honestly gave me goosebumps.”

With Sarah, Lillian represents Atos’ new generation, and in addition to that, she said she sees this as an opportunity to represent his country.

“It’s still hard to believe that Sarah and I are now adults and competing at the highest level,” Lillian said. “Sometimes I sit and reflect on my life and it’s crazy to me that I’m actually living the life 10-year old me dreamed of.”

“Growing up, I never had a Canadian jiu-jitsu athlete to look up to, let alone a female, so that’s what I’m working to be for others. I want to build a legacy that other young girls, from Canada and all over the world, can look up to.”

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