Rousimar Palhares returns to competition against Andre Galvao in an all-Brazilian main event at ACBJJ 23 in Rio de Janeiro on November 13. Palhares has not competed in over two years and was permanently banned by the UFC in 2013 for holding a heel hook after the referee stopped his fight with Mike Pierce. The co-main event features UFC fighters Kelvin Gastelum and Rodolfo Vieira in an all-stars no-gi match.
Rousimar Palhares is reportedly set to return to competition against Andre Galvao in the main event of ACBJJ 23, according to a report that has not been officially confirmed. Bloody Elbow reported that the all-Brazilian headliner is scheduled for November 13 in Rio de Janeiro.
The report says Palhares has not competed in more than two years. He was permanently banned by the UFC in 2013 for holding a heel hook after the referee stopped his fight with Mike Pierce, a ruling that has defined much of his public image since.
Galvao, a 44-year-old from Brazil who trains with Team Nogueira, is listed at 5-2-0 in mixed martial arts. His grappling-driven numbers stand out: he averages 2.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes and 2.02 takedowns per 15 minutes. He stands five-foot-seven, or 170 cm.
The card is also reported to feature an all-stars no-gi co-main event between UFC fighters Kelvin Gastelum and Rodolfo Vieira.
Vieira, 37, is 12-5-0 and trains with Fusion X-Cel Performance. His most recent recorded fight was a unanimous decision win over Robert Bryczek on September 26, 2026, which followed a unanimous decision loss to Eric McConico in April and a third-round TKO loss to Bo Nickal in November 2025. He averages 2.77 takedowns per 15 minutes and lands 3.22 significant strikes per minute at 54 percent accuracy.
Gastelum, 34, is 21-11-0 and fights out of Fight Ready. His most recent recorded fight was a first-round submission loss to Vicente Luque on April 11, 2026. He lands 3.67 significant strikes per minute at 42 percent accuracy, but his submission attempt rate is only 0.1 per 15 minutes, a stark contrast to Vieira's grappling pedigree on paper.
Why it matters
- Palhares would end a layoff of more than two years, and any appearance is likely to draw attention given his history.
- Galvao is 44, roughly 37 years younger in competitive-career terms than nothing on paper suggests, but his submission rate of 2.8 attempts per 15 minutes shows a pure grappling profile.
- The co-main pairs Vieira's 2.77 takedowns per 15 minutes against Gastelum's 1.01, a gap of 1.76, in a no-gi setting that favors the grappling specialist on the numbers.
Neither the card nor the matchups have been formally announced by the promotion.
