The 2023 Worlds No-Gi concluded 2023 in epic fashion. Las Vegas, Nevada played host to the biggest Worlds No-Gi of all time, as over 4,000 competitors hit the mats in an effort to win World Championship gold. Atos Jiu-Jitsu, led by IBJJF Hall of Famer Andre Galvao and his wife, World No-Gi Champion Angelica Galvao, won team titles in the adult male and adult female divisions. Led by incredible performances from their black belts, who took home six gold medals, Atos proved once again that they've created a winnning formula for their athletes. We caught up with Professor Andre Galvao for an exclusive interview on his team's amazing weekend in Las Vegas. 

The 2023 Worlds No-Gi was the biggest no-gi event of the year with over 4,000 competitors. Can you talk about the vibe at the event?

The 2023 Worlds No-Gi was incredible as there were 22 mat areas. I was running all over the place to coach students. The venue was huge but felt small at the same time because of the number of people inside it. There were so many mat areas. It was insane! I felt so happy about it because I remember how the tournaments were back in the day. This one event was special and I believe from now on it will just be bigger and bigger. The vibe was great. The teams, public, and fans were always entertained with so many great matches from blue belt juvenile to adult black belt. I can’t wait for the next one.

Atos took home the male and female team titles with two male gold medals and four female gold medals. Can you comment on the team’s overall performance?

Yes, we had a great campaign at Worlds. We not only conquered 6 gold medals in the black belt adult divisions, but we also had so many fighters on the podium as well. We had 5 silver medalists and a couple bronze medalists. It was definitely a great performance by our team. The athletes showcased great jiu-jitsu and we won the team titles. I am analyzing the fights and checking the points where we need to improve overall for the next one. We had an incredible training camp! I'm happy that many of the black belts from Atos that won last weekend became World Champions for their very first time as black belts. This is a huge accomplishment for me.  Atos is still building World Champions at all levels. The black belts represented so well, along with the colored belts and juveniles. We had World Champions at all levels. I’m so proud of everyone’s performance. Our team did incredible!

The athletes who train with you on a daily basis in San Diego that won gold were Ronaldo, Javier Zaruski, and Gabi McComb. Can you talk about their preparation leading into the event?

Yes! They train full time at Atos HQ and they were at the training sessions every single day. We worked a lot on strategies and defenses, with lots of specific and situational training sessions. We also worked a lot on combining techniques. Our no-gi training camp transformed them. Javier has been training at Atos HQ since he was a blue belt. His performance was very impressive as he submitted four of his five opponents, including the finals.

Gabi McComb returned to IBJJF competition and had an amazing performance, winning gold at middleweight and taking silver in the absolute division. How excited were you to see her back in competition and did you feel that was one of the best performances of her career?

Gabi is super talented. Since she moved to Atos her BJJ took off. She’s improved so much! She had an amazing performance, and yes, it was one of her best performances ever. Even in the open class final, she almost had Ffion in a triangle. Her fights are always super entertaining and she’s a well rounded competitor. I was SUPER excited to coach, and see her competing, becoming World Champion of the biggest No-Gi Worlds and helping our team to achieve 1st place at adult female overall. I’m proud of her and it’s great to have her back!

Are there any exciting plans for team Atos in 2024 that you want to share? 

Yes, we are adding more comp classes in our training schedule. My goal as a coach is to help our athletes to become better than ever. I finished developing a training system that will change the whole BJJ community. Everything will be available at the Atos BJJ On Demand app. I guarantee you that we will have outstanding results. I’m pumped for the new year more than ever. Also, we are opening a brand new ATOS JJ academy in Beaumont, CA around March-April 2024. For more news about our new school please follow @atosjiujitsubeaumont on Instagram. It’s time to build more schools, and keep on helping the community. Team Atos is coming strong and I can’t wait for it!