The statement, posted exclusively to her Facebook page rather than her Instagram account with 1.8 million followers, has drawn immediate backlash from the martial arts community.
“These two always play a part in my camps, since my jiu-jitsu days until now in MMA, whether we are close or far away, they are always here for me! Thank you for everything family! Love you guys!”
Mackenzie Dern wrote, tagging the location as Atos Jiujitsu HQ in San Diego. The image she shared shows her with Andre and Angelica.
According to the statement from Alexa Herse, specific incidents included Andre Galvao interrupting her training to partner with her himself.
“making s**ual moaning sounds in my ear while he was on top of me.”
In another alleged encounter,
“when his head was very close to my head he licked my ear.”
Perhaps equally concerning was the account from Alexa Herse of seeking help from Angelica Galvao.
“I reached out to Angelica Galvão, someone I have always looked up to as a second mother and who has known me and mentored me since I was a kid. Not only did she do nothing about it, she told me not to say anything and told me that if it’s wrong, you have to at least act like it’s right. And don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”
Alexa Herse indicated she has filed a report with local law enforcement.
The response to the post by Mackenzie Dern was swift and largely critical. Comments ranged from disappointed fans reconsidering their support to pointed questions about her judgment given the nature of the allegations.
The fallout from the allegations has been unprecedented in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community. Top competitors including Kaynan Duarte, Lucas Barbosa, Bruno Frazatto, JT Torres, Dom Bell, Lucas Pinheiro and Gustavo Batista have publicly separated from Team Atos. The statement from Gustavo Batista was particularly clear:
“I would like to say that we do not agree with and do not condone the actions taken by the team’s leadership. This type of attitude is unacceptable and makes our permanence in the team unsustainable.”
Atos Jiu Jitsu HQ released a statement announcing that Andre Galvao and Angelica Galvao would be immediately and indefinitely separated from all organizational roles. The site has since been changed to name their daughter Sarah as the head coach.
However, the credibility of the announcement has been questioned.
Andre Galvao has denied the allegations, calling them false rumors and suggesting they originated from
“someone who recently left ATOS before this whole thing happened and this person isn’t even stated in the rumors but obviously has a personal vendetta due to financial cuts and administrative decisions.”
