Sarah Galvão returns to defend her Crown lightweight title
The 2025 champion from Atos takes the last spot in the bracket and could meet Janaína Lebre again after three finals in the past year, none decided on points
Sarah Galvão is coming back to The Crown. The 2025 women’s lightweight champion from Atos was announced by the IBJJF on Wednesday, October 14, taking the last spot in the division for the invitation-only tournament on November 8 at the Pyramid in Long Beach, California.
With her in, the bracket is complete: Janaína Lebre, Sabrina Gondim, Elisabeth Clay, Ághata Rabelo, Nikolett Kis, Keanna Klay, Giovanah Oliveira and Galvão herself. Until last week, no former Crown champion was among the announced athletes, as VF Comunica reported. Now Galvão is the only one of the eight stepping on the mat to defend the title.
Three finals against Janaína Lebre
Her 2025 title took three matches. Galvão submitted Brianna Ste-Marie, the 2024 champion, with a collar choke in the quarterfinals, got past Cassia Moura by referee decision in the semifinals and beat Janaína Lebre in the final by one advantage.
Since then, the two have met in two more weight-class finals, and neither was decided on points. At the Pans in March, Galvão won by referee decision. At the Worlds, Lebre returned the favor the same way after a 0-0 match and took the lightweight world title. The Crown bracket has not been released yet, so a fourth meeting could come in any round.
Lebre is the only athlete who has competed in every edition of the Crown lightweight division, and she lost the last two finals. In an interview with VF Comunica, she said recognition is not what drives her.
Galvão’s 2026 season
Galvão, 20, arrives at The Crown after a busy year. She won the Europeans and the Brazilian Nationals at lightweight, took double gold at the Pans in her division and the open class, and earned silver at the Worlds. In September she took silver at ADCC in Kraków, in the under-65 kg division. In early October she won the middleweight division and the open class at the No-Gi Pans.
Besides the Worlds final, her only other loss this year to someone in the bracket came against Ághata Rabelo, on points, in the open-class semifinal of the American Nationals in June. Rabelo went on to win that open class and is now dropping from middleweight to lightweight for The Crown.
Who stands in her way
Sabrina Gondim is the reigning featherweight world champion and is moving up a division. At last year’s Crown she was submitted by Lebre in the quarterfinals. Elisabeth Clay, a four-time no-gi world champion, is also coming down from middleweight. Nikolett Kis won the brown belt world title in 2026 and will make her IBJJF black belt debut at The Crown. Keanna Klay, in her first year as a black belt, won her division and the open class at the Asian Championship at lightweight.
Giovanah Oliveira was the seventh athlete announced, on Tuesday, October 13. According to the IBJJF, the JFC Almeida athlete won the brown belt world title in 2025, reached the podium at the Brazilian Nationals and the Worlds in 2026 and usually competes at featherweight.
The Crown is held in a single night, with six divisions and eight athletes per bracket. Each division champion takes home $20,000.
VF Comunica’s coverage of The Crown is presented by Kingz.
Can Sarah Galvão defend her lightweight title at The Crown? Tell us what you think in the comments.
Read more:
- Crown: women’s lightweight has no ex-champion yet
- Sabrina Gondim joins The Crown and could get a rematch with Janaína Lebre
- Nolan Stuart returns to The Crown to defend his title and completes the heavyweight bracket
