Six champions claimed the crown at The Crown, the IBJJF Grand Prix event made up of gi matches in two women’s and four men’s weight classes. This season’s edition, held on Sunday in Long Beach and the third since the event took shape, extended already celebrated reigns and lifted new champions to an even higher level.
Erich Munis and Gabi Pessanha showed once again that there is still no challenger capable of taking over the divisions they have ruled since The Crown began, champions for three straight years. Another curious thing the two shared in the 2025 edition was their performance: both scored two submissions, in the quarterfinals and the semifinals, and won on points, with the same score, in the final.
ERICH MUNIS AND GABI PESSANHA SEAL THEIR SUPREMACY AT THE CROWN WITH STRIKINGLY SIMILAR PERFORMANCES AND PATHS
In the ultra-heavyweight Grand Prix, Erich Munis faced Gustavo Batista, an unlikely opponent in the race for the crown, since the versatile athlete accepted the invitation even though he competes at medium-heavyweight, where he is a three-time world champion. Gustavo was, in fact, the toughest opponent Erich faced in the bracket. Munis’ game, always very hard to overcome, delivered a 6-0 win for the reigning king. To reach the final, Erich choked out two opponents, Paulo Lanzilotti and Marcos Carrozzino.
Gabi Pessanha’s 6-0 win came over Tayane Porfírio, the veteran who was, this season, the biggest problem standing in the way of Marcio de Deus’ black belt. Against Gabi, an athlete with historic dominance, Tayane was the only competitor in the super-heavyweight bracket who wasn’t submitted. Before that, Gabi had eliminated Anabel Lopez and Maria Alencar with ankle locks, a specialty that is easy to predict but always very hard to avoid.
NOLAN STUART ENTERED THE GRAND PRIX TO SURPRISE: AN OMOPLATA ELIMINATED ADAM WARDZINSKI, THE DIVISION’S REIGNING KING
The heavyweight final featured a stunning turnaround. Nolan Stuart, the black belt who won this season’s Pans, beat Robson Chaves 8-0 and Lucas ‘Hulk’, who left the Grand Prix on a referee decision. With his spot in the final secured, Nolan faced a tougher challenge against Adam Wardzinski, the reigning heavyweight champion of The Crown. The Pole jumped ahead with two points, but Nolan didn’t give in. Seizing a good opening, he locked in a precise omoplata that forced Adam to tap. A new champion who bet on tradition, a favorite submission of the old-school Jiu-Jitsu, to shine in California.
Andy Murasaki is in an excellent moment of his career, and the 2025 season handed him another IBJJF The Crown title. After taking the crown in the middleweight Grand Prix last year, Andy did it again by beating Jackson Nagai, a gi world champion, in the bracket final. Sharp with his sweeps, the Atos athlete scored four points and kept the lead throughout the match. Andy’s earlier matches were close. He advanced after beating Mateo Cardona and Pedro Maia, both by decision.
SARAH GALVÃO HAS BEEN A BLACK BELT FOR ONLY A FEW MONTHS, BUT HER FEAT AT THE CROWN HAS ALREADY EARNED A PLACE IN HISTORY
As soon as she reached the elite of the sport, there was no doubt Sarah Galvão was something special. At The Crown, the athlete, just 19 years old, won the biggest title of her still young black belt career. Right away, she submitted none other than Brianna Ste-Marie, the event’s reigning lightweight Grand Prix champion. Next, Sarah beat Cassia Moura by decision in a match everyone loves to watch. Both are prominent talents of the new generation, but Cassia already has an IBJJF No-Gi world title at black belt on her résumé.
In the lightweight Grand Prix final, Janaina Lebre was the opponent, yet another world champion in the path of the phenom who carries the Galvão name. The match was very close, as expected, but Sarah’s energy on an early guard pass attempt set the pace and decided her win, which she celebrated with plenty of emotion.
The Crown’s featherweight Grand Prix has a new king. Cole Abate, ice cold, faced João Mendes, the reigning IBJJF world champion, in the bracket final. In a strategic match, Cole opened the scoring with a sweep for two points and managed it well until ‘Bisnaga’ evened things up with a reversal of his own. In the final seconds, Cole scored two more points and secured the crown, which stayed in the house, since it previously belonged to Diego ‘Pato’, his AOJ teammate. To advance in the Grand Prix, Cole beat Danilo Moreira on points and then knocked Kennedy Maciel out of contention with two advantages.
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
