The then 21-year old athlete became just the second athlete in history to win the Super Grand Slam, conquering titles at the four major IBJJF events in the same year, then winning an ADCC title at the ADCC World Championships.

He's now the youngest ever athlete to win that string of titles in that time span, and one of just two athletes in the history of the sport to do it. The other, in 2017, was Rubens 'Cobrinha' Charles.

Mica was a late entry to the 2024 European Championship roster in January. He told FloGrappling that he decided to enter the event after a request from his sponsors at Kingz Kimonos who were hoping to add some additional star power to the IBJJF's first major event of the calendar year.

Competing in the middleweight division, Mica submitted each of his four opponents, including Tarik Hopstock, Fabyury Khrysthyan and Andy Murasaki. In the final, in Mica's trademark fashion, he counted Murasaki's deepest passing threat into an armbar finish, eliciting a standing ovation and chants of 'Mica' from the European fans in France.

The European title became Mica's first official title as a black belt. Although he had won a World Championship title in 2022, he was subsequently stripped of that title after USADA sanctions for a doping violation. With the loss of the world title, Mica also lost an opportunity as a record holder. When he won the title in 2022, at just 18 years old, he became the youngest athlete in IBJJF history to win a black belt world title. When he was stripped, both the title, and the record, went to 20-year old Tye Ruotolo.

After conquering his European title, Mica appeared hungry to prove something in 2024.

"This year, it's going to be a year that people are going to stare, like 50, 20, 100 years later, like Elivs Presley," he said in an interview with FloGrappling. "They're going to be like, 'That was a year.'"

His father and coach, Melqui Galvão, added that 13-year old Mica was training with Cobrinha in 2017 when Cobrinha accomplished the Grand Slam, and had the opportunity to watch and take part in the preparation for that challenge.

The IBJJF Pan Championships in March brought additional challenges. Mica sustained a devastating foot injury in his opening match on the weekend. Although he carried on to win by submission, he had clear difficulty putting weight on his foot. 

Mica had two more submission wins in his next three matches, including another submission victory over budding rival Andy Murasaki to take the middleweight title.

Mica got the star treatment when he returned to Brazil in April to compete at the Brasileiro for his first time as a black belt. He was swarmed by fans of all ages, having to disguise himself in an oversized sweatshirt to make it to the weigh-in scale.

But the chance to compete before a sea of fans seems to have motivated Mica, who finished each of his three matches by quick submission. His movement seemed to defy logic and physics, bending his way onto his opponents' backs in each of the three bouts.

He continued to excel in his return to the Walter Pyramid at Worlds, where he submitted each of his first three opponents on day one. 

On the second day, he received news that a close friend had died. But that news seems only to have inspired him to embrace the opportunity. He racked up two points wins: one over the dangerous Pedro Maia, and then a razor-thin match in the lightweight final, where he beat Andy Murasaki in their closest match to date.

With the Grand Slam complete, Mica turned his sights to his return to ADCC.

In 2022, he lost in the final to Kade Ruotolo. But he was eager to turn that silver into an opportunity to win gold. Across two days, he defeated Luiz Paulo, Oliver Taza, PJ Barch, and then Vagner Rocha to complete the Super Grand Slam, becoming the youngest athlete in the history of the sport to achieve that title.

The rarity of a Super Grand Slam shouldn't be understated.

Only Cobrinha had previously earned that title. Even the year-long Grand Slam (differentiated from the seasonal Grand Slam) is a rare feat. Beside Cobrinha and Mica, only four athletes have eared that honor: Rafael Lovato Jr., Tayane Porfirio, Mayssa Bastos, Gabrieli Pessanha (Pessanha has won it three times consecutively).

There's also the matter of what Mica's accomplishment implies about his future. When Cobrinha completed his Super Grand Slam, it was at the very end of his competitive career. It was his swan song. His final five competitive events were the five events that constitued a Super Grand Slam. The 37-year old Cobrinha went 19-0 in 2017, winning the five most significant titles in grappling, before stepping away.

But most of those titles weren't new to him. He had previously won Worlds four times, ADCC twice, and Pans three times.

In his final 19 matches, Cobrinha secured seven submissions.

Mica on the other hand, completed the Super Grand Slam at 20 years old, at the very beginning of his black belt career. It was his first time competing as a black belt at Pans, Euros and Brasilieiros, and his first time winning each of the five titles he conquered. 

Inside of that run, he had 20 matches, and won 15 of them by submission. All the while, Mica took four more matches during his 2024 season: two superfights, and two matches in the ADCC absolute division. In those matches he went 3-1 with two submission wins and his second submission loss.

The feat of the Super Grand Slam is obviously significant. The record, becoming the youngest ever to do it, is crucial for Mica's legacy. But the statement Mica made in 2024, at just 20 years old, is the biggest takeaway. So early into his black belt career, Mica proved in the last season that he will be one of the greatest jiu-jitsu athletes of all time.

In January 2024, Melqui Galvão told FloGrappling that in years to come, they plan to bulk Mica up to a medium heavyweight so that he can comfortably compete and succeed in the absolute division.

Undoubtedly, he'll continue to be a force there. But when jiu-jitsu history reflects on Mica's success in 20, 50, 100 years, it will look back to the records set, the challenges accomplished, and the mind bending jiu-jitsu he displayed in 2024 as the year Mica Galvão truly emerged.

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