Palhares and Galvao revisit 2011 ADCC final with strikes allowed at ACBJJ 23

Rousimar Palhares and Andre Galvao will meet again fifteen years after their 2011 ADCC under-88-kilogram final, headlining ACBJJ 23 at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro on November 13. Galvao won that original encounter 9-4 in Nottingham, England; this rematch will be contested at 100 kilograms under combat jiu-jitsu rules.

The key distinction from their first meeting is the ruleset. “Combat Jiu-Jitsu allows punches and kicks to the body, but strikes to the head are prohibited. The rounds are scored using the 10-9 system, with three criteria taken into account: impact, fight control, and aggression,” event promoter and former UFC fighter Davi Ramos told Sherdog.

Palhares, nicknamed Toquinho, built his reputation in the UFC’s middleweight and welterweight divisions between 2008 and 2013 and remains widely recognised for his heel hook submissions — a technique UFC heavyweight Valter Walker has cited as a major influence on his own game.

Galvao is regarded as one of the greatest Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitors of all time. A five-time world champion and six-time ADCC champion, he also compiled a 5-2 record in MMA before returning his focus to competition and coaching the Atos Jiu-Jitsu team.

In the co-main event, UFC middleweights Kelvin Gastelum and Rodolfo Vieira will face each other at 88 kilograms under standard grappling rules, according to Ramos. Vieira, born in Rio de Janeiro, holds five Brazilian jiu-jitsu world championship titles and one ADCC title. Gastelum, a former UFC interim middleweight title challenger, brings wrestling experience and a career résumé that includes bouts against some of the promotion’s biggest names. The pairing is designed to draw both grappling purists and MMA fans.

Another UFC veteran, Edson Barboza, is expected to appear on the card, though his participation had not been officially confirmed at the time of the announcement, per information obtained by Sherdog.

Farmasi Arena has previously hosted multiple UFC events in Rio de Janeiro, giving ACBJJ 23 a high-profile venue to match a card that blends elite grappling credentials with recognisable MMA names.