The Crown 2026 lineup is set. The IBJJF has revealed the 48 black belts invited to the fourth edition of its GP event, scheduled for November 8 at the Pyramid in Long Beach, California. In a single night, six eight-athlete brackets, four men’s and two women’s, will crown the new kings and queens of each division, and every champion takes home a $20,000 prize.
The format is what makes The Crown one of the most competitive events on the gi calendar. Only invitees get in, and the federation builds each group with world champions, established veterans and the most talked-about breakout stars of the season. The brackets, with each athlete’s path to the final, will still be drawn and released by the organizers. The event streams on FloGrappling, and tickets are already on sale.
GABI PESSANHA AND ERICH MUNIS, CHAMPIONS SINCE THE FIRST EDITION, RETURN TO THE PYRAMID CHASING A FOURTH TITLE
No name carries more weight on the list than Gabi Pessanha. The most successful champion in The Crown history has won all three editions at super-heavyweight and arrives as the favorite for a fourth straight title. A 12-time world champion, the Rio native showed a new side in 2026: in addition to the guard and ankle lock system that made her famous, she began imposing her top game, with passes that smothered opponents throughout the season.
At ultra-heavyweight, the story repeats itself with Erich Munis. Ranked No. 1 in the IBJJF men’s rankings, a seven-time world champion, five-time Brasileiro champion and two-time Pans champion, he has also never lost the crown and is going for a fourth. He was the last confirmed in the division with no weight limit, which also includes Seif-Eddine Houmine, Pedro Machado, Matheus Vetoraci and Francisco Papasidero. Erich Munis’s return to the event’s heaviest bracket, where he has never been beaten, had already been announced by the IBJJF in October.
MICA GALVÃO RETURNS TO THE IBJJF AFTER TWO YEARS AND DEBUTS IN THE BRACKET OF TWO-TIME CHAMPION ANDY MURASAKI
The middleweight bracket is the most talked-about at The Crown 2026, and the reason has a name. At 22, Mica Galvão returns to a major IBJJF competition after two years away, and does so by making his debut at the event. In 2024, the phenom won the Brasileiro, Pans, Europeans and Worlds between lightweight and middleweight. Now he will face Andy Murasaki, champion of the last two editions, who is chasing a third straight title after dominating this year’s Brasileiro.
The division got a last-minute addition. Jackson Nagai, Andy’s runner-up in the 2025 final, withdrew due to a health issue, and Natan Chueng accepted the invitation with less than three weeks to prepare. He arrives on the back of a silver medal at the Worlds, a run in which he beat Tommy Langaker and José Steve. Rounding out the group are Tarcisio Santos, José Steve himself, Leo Souza, Rafael Gamba and Rio native Uanderson Ferreira.
SARAH GALVÃO AND NOLAN STUART DEFEND THE REIGNS THEY WON AT THE LAST EDITION
Sarah Galvão returns to the stage that launched her black belt career. Invited in 2025 as a prospect, she left Long Beach with the lightweight title and went on to win the Europeans, Pans and Brasileiro, as well as headlining the open class finals against Gabi Pessanha that lit up the season. At the last edition, Sarah eliminated then-champion Brianna Ste-Marie and beat Janaina Lebre in the final to begin her reign.
A rematch is on the horizon again. Janaina, a two-time world champion, is also in the bracket and has scores to settle: she lost to Sarah in the finals of The Crown and the Pans, but got even in this year’s Worlds final, won by referee decision. The group also includes Elisabeth Clay, the reigning No Gi world champion with double gold and a dangerous footlock game, as well as Sabrina Gondim, Aghata Rabelo and Giovanah Oliveira.
At heavyweight, Nolan Stuart is attempting something no one has managed in three editions: winning the division twice. The man who beat Adam Wardzinski, whom he submitted with an omoplata in the 2025 final, arrives as a two-time Pans champion and with a reputation for having the most feared omoplata system on the circuit.
FEATHERWEIGHT WILL HAVE A NEW KING, AND ‘BISNAGA’ LEADS THE LIST OF CONTENDERS FOR A FIRST TITLE
With the 2025 champion not among the invitees, the featherweight crown will have a new owner. João ‘Bisnaga’ Mendes, the 2025 world champion in the division and a finalist at the last edition, was the first announced and is looking to finally add the title still missing from his résumé. Rerisson Gabriel, the reigning Brasileiro champion, moves up from light featherweight to make his debut, while Mateo Cardona, Sam Nagai, South Korea’s Jun Yong Cho, Keven Carrasco, Ademir Barreto and Will Wilson complete the bracket.
THE CROWN 2026 FULL LIST OF INVITEES:
Featherweight (men): Jun Yong Cho, Keven Carrasco, João ‘Bisnaga’ Mendes, Will Wilson, Mateo Cardona, Ademir Barreto, Sam Nagai and Rerisson Gabriel
Middleweight (men): Tarcisio Santos, José Steve, Leo Souza, Rafael Gamba, Mica Galvão, Uanderson Ferreira, Andy Murasaki and Natan Chueng
Heavyweight (men): Vinicius Liberati, Fellipe Andrew, Windson Torres, Leo Ferreira, Omar Nada, Davi Vetoraci, Nico Maglicic and Nolan Stuart
Ultra-heavyweight (men): Francisco Papasidero, Seif-Eddine Houmine, Helder Rodrigues, Thierry Felipe, Alexander Sak, Pedro Machado, Matheus Vetoraci and Erich Munis
Lightweight (women): Nikolett Kis, Janaina Lebre, Elisabeth Clay, Aghata Rabelo, Keanna Klay, Sabrina Gondim, Giovanah Oliveira and Sarah Galvão
Super-heavyweight (women): Larissa Dias, Yara Soares, Hazel Butcher-Salazar, Ingridd Alves, Maria Alencar, Maria Ruffatto-Gilpin, Anabel Lopez and Gabi Pessanha
The official list, with updates from the organizers, is on The Crown 2026 page on the IBJJF website. The event takes place on Sunday, November 8, streamed live on FloGrappling.
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
