Rerisson Gabriel completes The Crown 2026 featherweight bracket
The 2026 Brazilian National champion at light featherweight moves up a division as the eighth and final name in a bracket with Sam Nagai, Bisnaga and Ademir Barreto.
Rerisson Gabriel is in The Crown 2026. On Thursday (Oct. 15), the IBJJF announced the Alliance black belt as the eighth and final featherweight in the invitational, set for November 8 at the Pyramid in Long Beach, California. It will be his debut at the event, which pays $20,000 to each division winner.
The 2026 Brazilian National champion usually competes at light featherweight, one division below. In its announcement, the IBJJF noted that he projects to be one of the smallest athletes in the bracket but also one of the most explosive, with his guard sweeps as his main weapon.
Moving up to featherweight
The move was part of the plan. Back in 2025, Rerisson told VF Comunica which path he wanted to follow. “It was always my plan to win a world title at light featherweight and then move up to featherweight,” he said.
In 2026 he reached the podium at two of the season’s biggest events. He took bronze at the Pans after losing the semifinal to Shoya Ishiguro, then won the Brazilian Nationals with advantage wins over Ishiguro in the semifinal and Diego Pato in the final. At the Worlds, he was stopped in the quarterfinals.
From Cantagalo to UFC BJJ
Raised in Cantagalo, a community in Rio de Janeiro’s South Zone, Rerisson started Jiu-Jitsu in a local social project and got his black belt in June 2024 from his brother, Cleison Santos. Nine months later, he beat Diogo Reis in the 2025 Pans final at light featherweight.
That title opened doors. In June 2025 he faced Mikey Musumeci for the first UFC BJJ bantamweight belt and lost by heel hook. He returned to the promotion in February 2026 and beat Landon Elmore by decision.
The featherweight bracket
With Rerisson, the featherweight bracket is set: Sam Nagai, the 2023 division champion, João “Bisnaga” Mendes, Jun Yong Cho, Mateo Cardona, Ademir Barreto, Will Wilson, Keven Carrasco and Rerisson.
Can Rerisson Gabriel upset the favorites at featherweight at The Crown? Let us know in the comments.
Read more
- Sam Nagai returns to the Crown to try to become the first two-time featherweight champion
- Ademir Barreto returns to the Crown and joins the featherweight division in 2026
