Mateo Cardona vs Rerisson Gabriel: Brazilian promises a show
The AOJ standout returns at featherweight, while Gabriel promises an open, aggressive match
Mateo Cardona returns to The Crown this Sunday, November 8, at the Pyramid in Long Beach, California, opening the featherweight bracket against Brazil’s Rerisson Gabriel, the 2026 Brasileiro light featherweight champion.
The Colombian made his Crown debut in 2025 at middleweight, in his first year as a black belt, and lost a referee decision in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Andy Murasaki. This year he took silver at the Europeans and is now dropping down a division.
“I’m really looking forward to the match with Rerisson, I think he is an incredible competitor and I know the match will be a great gauge for the rest of the competition, I have a lot of confidence that my preparation has been more than sufficient to maintain a strong performance throughout the entire event and I know regardless of the results it will be a great start to my next season in the featherweight division,” Cardona told VF Comunica.
Gabriel says he is not going in to play it safe.
“Mateo is a high-level athlete. Like me, he’s part of the new generation of black belts. I don’t have anything specific planned for this match. My plan is to get out there, let my Jiu-Jitsu flow and do what I do best. I don’t want a stalled, locked-up match. I want to fight in an aggressive, dynamic style and put on a real show for the crowd.”
The winner faces João “Bisnaga” Mendes or Jun Yong Cho in the semifinals, according to the Crown 2026 brackets.
Who gets through this new-generation clash: Cardona or Gabriel?
VF Comunica’s coverage of The Crown is presented by Kingz.
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