When André Galvão steps into the competition area at University of California, Irvine, sweet memories from the last Pan he competed at will come to mind.
Three years back the Brazilian dominated the black belt division at the 2008 Pan.
He won the light heavyweight division and the absolute.
To win the open weight class, he coaxed a tapout in three of his four matches. Among his victims: Luiz “Big Mac” Theodoro, Fernando “Soluço” Di Piero, and Roberto Tozzi (photo) in the final.
The GRACIEMAG at the Jiu-Jitsu Pan Blog dug up some of his past and further reveals how the two-time world champion has been preparing for the 2011 Pan.