Andy Murasaki submits both opponents, rolls into The Crown
The two-time Crown middleweight champion won medium-heavy at the IBJJF Orange County Fall Open with two submissions, two weeks before Long Beach
Two weeks out from The Crown, Andy Murasaki stepped back on the mats and didn’t let a single match go the distance. On Saturday (Oct. 24), the AOJ black belt won the medium-heavy division at the IBJJF Orange County Fall Open in Costa Mesa, California, with two submissions in two matches.
It was his second straight tournament above the weight he’ll compete at in Long Beach, and his second straight gold. Two weeks ago, he won his division and the open class at the Houston Fall Open.
A former Atos teammate first
The medium-heavy bracket had three athletes. In his first match, Andy faced João Vitor de Arruda Venancio of Atos, the team he represented from 2018 until early this year, and submitted him. IBJJF highlighted the match on social media: “Andy Murasaki looks sharp today.”
In the final, he met the bracket’s top-ranked athlete, Luiz Victor Gregoriano Pinto Maxnuk of Marcio Andre Jiu-Jitsu, who won medium-heavy at the 2025 Denver Open in his black belt debut. Andy passed the guard and went straight to the submission to take gold.
Chasing a three-peat in Long Beach
All of it is preparation for what matters most. On November 8, at the Long Beach Pyramid, Andy goes for a third straight middleweight title at The Crown, the invitation-only event where each champion takes home $20,000.
It is the toughest bracket of the night. Along with Andy, it features Mica Galvão, Tarcisio Santos, who knocked him out of this year’s Worlds, Leonardo “Leleo” Souza, José Steve, Uanderson Ferreira, Rafael Gamba and Natan Chueng, who replaced Jackson Nagai, Andy’s opponent in the 2025 final.
Andy left Long Beach with the crown in each of the last two editions. In 2024, he took the title after an injured Tainan Dalpra couldn’t compete in the final. In 2025, he beat Jackson Nagai 4-0 in the final.
Do you think Andy pulls off the three-peat at The Crown? Let us know in the comments.
Read also
- The Crown 2026: five matchups that could happen in Long Beach
- Andy Murasaki wins double gold in Houston ahead of The Crown
