Nicholas Meregali has revealed that Mica Galvao filed four lawsuits against him, both civil and criminal, stemming from public comments he made accusing the young Brazilian star of using PEDs. The admission came during an appearance on MMA Hoje alongside host Viktor Doria, where Meregali made clear that a match between the two will never happen.
When asked directly whether a contest between himself and Galvao was feasible, Meregali did not hesitate.
“100% unfeasible,”
he said.
“There is no money in the world. The guy sued me four times. I would never accept to compete with him, and that’s it. I could even say more serious things here. I’m struggling not to say it.”
The lawsuits trace back to statements Meregali made on the same program.
Meregali also had words in the aftermath of the controversial Kaynan Duarte disqualification at a major event where Galvao was competing.
Meregali said at the time.
“People are calling him a chea ter and that he went broke and that Mica lost because of it. If Kaynan wanted to break Mica’s knee in the position he would have broken it, that’s the truth, he wasn’t mean.”
He then went further, directly accusing Galvao of using clomiphene, writing:
“Mica used clomiphene to chea t and mask the use of ster*ids, and this was not seen as che ating. People are experiencing jiu-jitsu as if it were a Globo soap opera, the lack of brain cells.”
“The funniest thing is to see you talk about respecting the public and having built Mica’s career since forever based on ster*ids — imagine you being a child who uses ster*ids hormones to win against another child? Or better than that, who uses hormones as a child to be able to grapple adults,”
he added, directly addressing Galvao’s father and coach Melqui Galvao.
Those comments appear to have formed the basis of the legal action Galvao’s camp pursued against Meregali.
What makes Meregali‘s accusations particularly significant is that Mica Galvao did test positive for a PED. In August 2025, Galvao broke his silence in FloGrappling’s documentary The Year Of Mica, offering his most detailed account of what happened.
“When I went to the US, they told me that my testosterone level was very low. They said that they could help me up just to bring it back to normal,”
Galvao claimed.
“For me, I didn’t understand a lot. I was 17. I was just trying to compete and I put my trust into the doctor at that time and I think it was a mistake.”
Galvao, who became the youngest IBJJF black belt world champion in history when he won the title at 18, acknowledged his inexperience and the pressure he was under as a teenage prodigy navigating elite competition. He insisted he was unaware he was doing anything wrong.
“That athlete is considered 100% responsible for anything that goes into your body. And at the time I didn’t know. I don’t use anything illegal. I don’t do anything that (gives) someone an advantage,”
he said in the documentary.
He also spoke more broadly about what he sees as a cultural problem in the sport:
“People think that it’s kind of normal for you to use stuff in jiu-jitsu. And I don’t want kids to grow up thinking about it. I don’t want adults looking into it and say, ‘Oh, no. It’s normal, everybody’s on it.’ No, it shouldn’t be like that.”
As for Meregali, his stance remains absolute. With four lawsuits filed against him and a legal dispute still clearly unresolved in his mind, he has drawn a hard line, no amount of money or promotional incentive will put him across the mat from Galvao.
