There aren’t many matchups in the BJJ world more worthy of the title of ‘superfight’ than a potential meeting between Mica Galvao and Nicholas Meregali. Not only are they two of the biggest names in the sport but they’re also in completely different weight classes, so it’s not a match that fans are likely to see at most events. That would be more than enough to generate a ton of interest in the match, but there’s also a bit of bad blood between them too. The two men have gone back and forth in interviews and on social media a few times over the years, but so far without actually settling it on the mat.
That might all be about to change though, as Galvao just issued a public challenge to Meregali on social media. It’s not uncommon for competitors to challenge each other of course, but it is rare to see the lighter grappler chasing after the heavier one. For his part, Meregali has addressed the idea of competing against Galvao before and he hasn’t been keen on the idea. That clearly hasn’t deterred Galvao though, and he’s even directly answered Meregali’s claim that it isn’t about the money for him. Obviously both men could make a lot of money with this match, but Galvao has an alternative proposal:
“Nothing personal. Just business. If you don’t fight for money… and neither do I… So let’s give the public what they want to see. We do this fight in Brazil. In a stadium. With the split cheer. What’s the value of the fight? We hurt. For an NGO. For those who really need it. The invitation has been made.”
The idea of doing this match in order to raise money for charity is a noble one, and there are no shortage of BJJ charities out there too. Meregali hasn’t actually responded to the challenge yet but it’s unlikely he takes Galvao up on it any time soon. Even outside of turning the match down before, Meregali is currently out of competition with an injury. He’s had to undergo multiple surgeries on his shoulder over the last year and hasn’t competed since the injury happened at ADCC 2024. It shouldn’t be too long before he’s able to make a comeback though, and there aren’t many more interesting opponents out there than Galvao.
Mica Galvao issued the public challenge to Nicholas Meregali in a recent post to his official Instagram account:
