The Crown: what is the IBJJF invitational and how it works
The Crown is the IBJJF’s elite Jiu-Jitsu event, open only to invited black belts. The 2026 edition, the fourth one, takes place on November 8 at the Pyramid in Long Beach, California, with 48 athletes split into six divisions of eight. Each bracket winner takes home $20,000 and the division’s crown.
Created in 2023, the event has become the IBJJF’s season finale in the gi. It is a single night that brings together the year’s champions and the matchups the federation wants to see.
How The Crown works
Each division has an eight-athlete bracket. To win, a competitor needs three wins in one night: quarterfinals, semifinals and the final.
Every match is in the gi, under IBJJF rules and IBJJF scoring. In past editions, matches were 10 minutes long. The event narrows the IBJJF weight classes down to six, four for men and two for women, and there is no open class.
Who gets to compete
There is no open registration. The IBJJF hands out the invitations, mostly based on results at its own major events like the Pans, Brazilian Nationals and Worlds. The organization also looks at fighting style and tends to invite athletes who go for the finish.
When someone pulls out, the IBJJF brings in a replacement. In 2026, Natan Chueng, the Worlds silver medalist at middleweight, replaced Jackson Nagai, and Anderson Kauan “Bolinho” replaced Helder Rodrigues at ultra-heavyweight.
The Crown 2026 divisions and matchups
The IBJJF released the brackets on October 26. These are the quarterfinals in each division.
Featherweight
- Samuel Nagai x Keven Carrasco
- Will Wilson x Ademir Barreto
- João Mendes “Bisnaga” x Jun Yong Cho
- Rerisson Gabriel x Mateo Cardona
Middleweight
- Mica Galvão x Leonardo “Leleo” Souza
- Uanderson Ferreira x José Steve
- Andy Murasaki x Rafael Gamba
- Natan Chueng x Tarcisio Santos
Heavyweight
- Vinicius Liberati x Omar Nada
- Nicholas Maglicic x Leonardo “Leo” Ferreira
- Nolan Stuart x Davi Vetoraci
- Fellipe Andrew x Windson Torres
Ultra-heavyweight
- Erich Munis x Francisco Papasidero
- Alexander Sak x Matheus Vetoraci
- Seif-Eddine Houmine x Thierry Felipe
- Pedro Machado x Anderson Kauan “Bolinho”
Women’s lightweight
- Janaína Lebre x Nikolett Kis
- Sabrina Gondim x Elisabeth Clay
- Sarah Galvão x Giovanah Oliveira
- Aghata Rabelo x Keanna Klay
Women’s super-heavyweight
- Gabi Pessanha x Maria Ruffatto-Gilpin
- Hazel Butcher-Salazar x Anabel Lopez
- Larissa Dias x Ingridd Alves
- Yara Soares x Maria Alencar
How much The Crown pays
Each champion earns $20,000. For a fresh black belt, the money matters as much as the names on the bracket. Thierry Felipe, who debuts at ultra-heavyweight, told VF Comunica he wants both: “I believe that with how hard we’re working, we can do both: win about 20 thousand dollars and beat all the big names who are there on November 8, at the Crown.”
For how The Crown stacks up against other events, see how much a Jiu-Jitsu champion makes.
Every The Crown champion
| Division | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Featherweight | Samuel Nagai | Diego “Pato” Oliveira | Cole Abate |
| Middleweight | Tainan Dalpra | Andy Murasaki | Andy Murasaki |
| Heavyweight | Fellipe Andrew | Adam Wardzinski | Nolan Stuart |
| Ultra-heavyweight | Erich Munis | Erich Munis | Erich Munis |
| Women’s lightweight | Luiza Monteiro | Brianna Ste-Marie | Sarah Galvão |
| Women’s super-heavyweight | Gabi Pessanha | Gabi Pessanha | Gabi Pessanha |
Erich Munis and Gabi Pessanha have won every edition so far and head to Long Beach chasing a fourth title. Andy Murasaki is going for three in a row at middleweight.
Where to watch The Crown
The Crown streams live and exclusively on FloGrappling.
Who do you think leaves Long Beach with the crown in each division? Drop your picks in the comments.
VF Comunica’s coverage of The Crown is presented by Kingz.
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