Amit Elor has publicly addressed her experiences involving Melqui Galvao, following recent allegations that have shaken the BJJ community.

Elor, an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling and a BJJ purple belt, explained that although she was not a full-time member of Galvao’s academy, she had multiple interactions with him over the years.
She described the environment she experienced as deeply troubling:

Over the years I was around this person a handful of times and even from those experiences, I can say the environment felt very manipulative, scary, and confusing…

There was a culture of fear, control, and silence that affected everyone around him…
People seemed conditioned not to question him, not to push back, and not to speak openly.

Elor also detailed how Galvao’s influence extended into her personal life through his relationship with his son, Mica Galvao, with whom she shares a child:

From the very beginning of my relationship with his son he had total control over every aspect of his son’s life, which meant control over our relationship as well.

For months while I was pregnant, I was heavily pressured to move to Brazil and give birth there…
Thankfully, I had a strong support system.

Elor shared a specific incident involving prize money during a competition in Brazil:

He told me I agreed to donate that money to him, but I never agreed to that…
He tricked me and used his power to make money off of me.

While clarifying that she did not personally witness any sexual abuse, Elor said she often felt unsafe:

I did often feel deeply uncomfortable and unsafe around him… I genuinely felt like I couldn’t breathe in the same room as him.

Despite everything, Elor said she remains focused on supporting her partner and raising their child:

He has been through so much hardship his whole life, and I’m doing my best to support him…
I’m afraid it may take a long time to heal from all of this.

 

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