More Than a Gym
More than a gym – an academy with state-of-the-art facilities located in the heart of San Diego
THE ACADEMY
WE PROVIDE A SAFE, CLEAN, AND FUN ENVIRONMENT FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES AND SKILL LEVELS.
At Atos HQ, we have hand-selected a number of dedicated and decorated instructors to help you accomplish your goals. The depth of knowledge amassed by our instructors will be a great advantage to anyone who wants to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/Self Defense.
You will train in the best and most professional Jiu-Jitsu facility in San Diego. Atos HQ is considered the best Brazilian Jiu-jitsu school in the world, for both competitors and hobbyists. Whether you want to compete, learn a new skill, make friends, or meet your fitness goals – we’ve got you covered. Our students are fortunate to learn directly from some of the greatest, and most experienced, coaches and competitors in the world. We have designed our schedule so that students can choose classes that need their specific needs.
Atos Jiu-jitsu HQ is led by Sarah Galvao. Sarah is regarded as one of the top Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitors in both the Gi and No-Gi. She is also regarded as one of the best coaches in the sport of Jiu-Jitsu, having coached multiple World Champion competitors. Sarah is dedicated to providing the best instruction possible to her students at Atos HQ.
WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE SAYING:
Galvao Jiu-Jitsu truly offers the best BJJ instruction not only in San Diego, but in the western hemisphere. Not only do you have the best professors, but you have the best BJJ practitioners around to actually train with. No other academy can tout multiple World Champions on the mat all day everyday. The people there have become our extended family.
THE SPACE
At Atos Jiu-Jitsu San Diego Academy, we provide the highest standards to ensure a safe, clean, and fun environment for people of all ages and skill levels.
Explore the Academy
LEARN FROM WORLD CHAMPIONS
The depth of knowledge amassed by our instructors will be a great advantage to anyone who desires to learn Jiu-Jitsu. Jiu-Jitsu is a fun, safe and practical martial art. You’ll get a full body workout while learning highly-effective self-defense skills that are applicable in a variety of real world situations.
SARAH GALVAO
Head CoachBorn in São Paulo, Brazil but raised in San Diego, Sarah Galvão is inarguably Brazilian jiu-jitsu royalty. Sarah is carving out her legacy in sport.
From an early age, Sarah dabbled in a number of athletic pursuits, from gymnastics and dance to tennis. However, she was destined to find her way back to the gentle art, where the skills she had developed – body awareness and flexibility from gymnastics, coordination and fluidity from dance, and speed and agility from tennis – served her well. So well, in fact, that her jiu-jitsu career took off like a rocket, becoming one of the most accomplished juvenile athletes of her generation.
It was her first double Grand Slam in the Juvenile 1 division that she attributes as the pivotal moment in her career. “It was as if everything clicked into place, and I felt an unwavering sense of purpose. I knew that I was exactly where I was meant to be.” It was then that she dedicated herself fully to the gentle art. “Every part of my life, on and off the mat, is about getting better and fueling my jiu-jitsu growth. Whether I’m recovering on the beach or drilling new techniques, I’m always working to improve and become the best version of myself.”
Some of Sarah’s top accomplishments include:
IBJJF European Champion (2025, Double Gold)
CBJJ Brasileiros Champion (2024, Double Gold)
IBJJF World Champion (2024, Double Gold)
AJP Tour Rio Champion (2024)
IBJJF Double Gold Grand Slam (2022, Juvenile 1)
Multiple championship wins and Grand Slam victories later, Sarah is now one of the most dangerous black belt in the sport. She is a well-rounded practitioner, as proficient in guard as she is playing top position, but passing is her passion. As she notes, “Passing in jiu-jitsu demands a unique blend of speed and finesse. Whether executing a stack pass, pressure pass, or outside pass, the key is to be swift and calculated. I relish the challenge of outmaneuvering my opponents.”
MICHAEL PEREZ
No-Gi (All Belts) ProfessorProfessor Michael Perez is an American-born Black Belt under Professor André Galvão.
Since moving to San Diego and joining Atos in 2013, he has had successful competitive years in No-Gi (IBJJF Worlds and ADCC) and was awarded the “Atos Brown Belt of the Year Award” in 2016.
When not on the pursuit for the ADCC Championship, Professor Perez can be found on the mats of Atos HQ teaching No-Gi classes and private lessons.
ROLANDO SAMSON
ADULT FUNDAMENTALSRolando Samson is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under André Galvão.
Rolando has also earned a reputation as one of the top athletes of his generation, winning important championships like the World Championship, the World No-Gi Championship, and the American Nationals of the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF).
Rolando Samson was born on September 13, 1994 in San Diego, California – United States of America.
He became interested in martial arts as a child, influenced by cartoons like Dragon Ball Z. After watching classes at the after-school Karate program in his neighborhood, Samson’s curiosity increased.
At the age of nine, Samson showed a keen interest in martial arts and was guided by his father to a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school. Rolando’s dad was a mixed martial arts (MMA) fan and had a decent understanding of grappling and it’s value in hand-to-hand combat, opting to register his son to Alex Brandão’s academy – a gym under the lineage of Master Fábio Santos.
His first IBJJF World Championship came while competing for Brando, where he was in the kids and Juvenile divisions. He began considering switching to a gym that emphasized competition over his Jiu-Jitsu career as a Blue Belt. This thought was doubled down on after a conversation with fellow competitor Michael Liera Junior – who advised Rolando to try a class at Atos HQ in San Diego.
Already a big fan of André Galvão‘s game, Rolando decided to take the challenge and visit this famed grappling stable. Once there, and given that Samson was already a relatively well known Blue Belt competitor, he was put through ‘the ringer’. In an interview given to BJJ Heroes in 2017 Rolando remembered that first experience at Atos HQ: “I tried to keep up and I was completely exhausted. I learned so much in that one night and I was already looking forward to the next class right after the class finished. That was how I knew Atos was where I wanted to be“.
While training and competing regularly, Rolando Samson’s focus never strayed from his academic studies having attended a junior college for 3 years before being transferred to San Diego State University to further his education – all this while also working part-time.
On June 2017, after another fantastic competitive year where he achieved a silver medal at Worlds (while training only 2 times per week), Samson was promoted to black belt by André Galvão.
Today you can find Rolando teaching our fundamentals classes with a lot of enthusiasm helping every single student to achieve their goals on and off the mats!
