The brewing rivalry between American grappling star Kade Ruotolo and Brazilian phenom Mica Galvao has reached a new boiling point with both athletes now publicly calling for a rematch of their iconic ADCC 2022 encounter.
Following Ruotolo‘s recent criticism that Galvao had been “ducking” him the Brazilian has fired back with his own challenge expressing his desire to compete against Ruotolo both in the gi and no-gi formats. In a social media post that has garnered significant attention in the grappling community Galvao wrote:
The 21-year-old Brazilian didn’t stop there directly addressing CJI officials with a bold callout:
“Send me the contract @cjiofficial I’m ready to put myself to the test one more time. ”
This challenge comes in response to Ruotolo‘s earlier accusations that Galvao had avoided multiple opportunities for a rematch. As previously reported Ruotolo claimed that Galvao declined offers from Flograppling and ONE Championship and chose to compete in what he characterized as “an easier bracket for $10,000 instead of $1 million” at CJI.
The challenge has also drawn support from the Galvao camp with Mica‘s father and coach Melqui Galvao weighing in on the potential matchup. In a recent video clip the elder Galvao revealed that the team has been actively pursuing this rematch stating:
“The boy made a move. We already asked for a rematch. We already asked for a match against Kade. Let’s see if he accepts now. In the next Who’s Number One. But we are waiting. I don’t know if he will accept. He also has no obligation. If I were him I wouldn’t accept. But we already asked to do this match with him now. In November “
In response to the renewed interest in a rematch Ruotolo has also taken to social media to clarify his position. In a story he stated:
“We saw that they asked for a rematch right after ADCC so we contacted Flo grappling and told them I was down to do it. The Galvaos declined. I think a rematch would be great one day. It would be great for the Brazilian fans and all the fans. No disrespect to anyone here just speaking the truth.”
This response reinforces Ruotolo‘s earlier claims about declined rematch opportunities while showing he remains open to the bout acknowledging the potential value such a match would bring to the sport’s global fanbase.
The original encounter between Ruotolo and Galvao at ADCC 2022 remains one of the most talked-about matches in recent grappling history. Ruotolo‘s victory by submission in the under-77kg final not only earned him gold but also established him as one of the few grapplers to have ever submitted the Brazilian prodigy.
Since then both athletes have continued to evolve and achieve success in their respective paths. While Ruotolo has been competing under the ONE Championship banner and won the CJI under-80kg division Galvao claimed his first ADCC title in 2024 and recently captured the middleweight grand prix at BJJ Stars.
