Who completes the bracket? Five names who could take the last middleweight spot at the Crown 2026
Mica Galvão’s division still has one open spot. A two-time Crown champion and world champions are among the names who could complete the group
The IBJJF still has an important decision to make to complete the middleweight bracket of the Crown 2026. The Crown is an invitation-only tournament of the IBJJF, the biggest jiu-jitsu federation in the world.
The event is set for November 8, in Long Beach, California. The division already has some of the biggest names in the sport today, but there is still room to complete the list of eight competitors.
The situation opens an interesting discussion, mainly because of the level of the athletes who are still off the list.
Because the Crown is by invitation, a good ranking position or great results in the season do not guarantee a spot. Still, an athlete’s record, current form and history in the tournament help to point to some names that would make sense.
VF Comunica picked five athletes who could be part of this conversation. So far, there is no official confirmation from the IBJJF that any of them will get the spot.
Andy Murasaki
No name has a more direct connection with this spot than Andy Murasaki.
The AOJ athlete won the last two editions of the Crown at middleweight. So, while the 2026 division takes shape, the two-time defending champion is still not among the announced names.
Murasaki also remains active on the circuit. In 2026, he won the IBJJF Brazilian Nationals and is still one of the standout names of the organization.
There is also a direct connection with some of the athletes already announced. Jackson Nagai, for example, was Murasaki’s opponent in the 2025 Crown final.
If the idea is to have the current owner of the crown defend his place, Murasaki looks like the most natural choice.
Tainan Dalpra
Tainan Dalpra would probably be the name able to turn the middleweight division into one of the main attractions of the whole event right away.
The AOJ athlete dominated the division up to 181.6 lbs at the main IBJJF championships in 2026. He won the European, Pan, Brazilian Nationals and World Championships, in one more season of great results on the circuit.
In his case, the record is not the question.
The question is whether there is interest and availability to compete in the Crown.
Dalpra has not been announced for the Crown 2026 yet. If he took the last spot in the division, the bracket would open the possibility of matches against Mica Galvão and other big names in a tournament of only three rounds.
Among the athletes who are still off the list, few announcements would have a similar impact.
Elijah Dorsey
Elijah Dorsey may be a less obvious possibility for the casual fan, but his results justify his place in the discussion.
The American was the runner-up at the Pan Championship in the gi in 2026, at middleweight, after he reached the final against Tainan Dalpra.
His recent form also put his name in the spotlight again.
Dorsey won the 2026 Pan No-Gi at middleweight, an important result in a season in which he kept showing up among the best athletes in his division.
It would be a choice based mainly on current form.
Jansen Gomes
Jansen Gomes would need to change weight classes, but his record makes it hard to leave him out of a list of possible invitees.
The CheckMat representative won the 2026 World Championship at medium-heavyweight and remains among the best athletes of the current generation.
His place at middleweight would depend, of course, on the possibility of dropping a weight class for the Crown format.
If that happened, the IBJJF would put one more world champion in a bracket that already gets a lot of attention.
It would be a less predictable choice, but a relevant one in sporting terms.
Matheus Gabriel
Another possibility that involves a change of weight class would be Matheus Gabriel.
The CheckMat black belt won the 2026 World Championship at lightweight when he beat Jackson Nagai in the final.
The jump to middleweight would be a change from the division in which he won his world title this season.
At the same time, the Crown has a different dynamic from the big traditional championships, with only eight invited athletes per division.
Gabriel would also add another element to the bracket: a possible repeat of the World Championship final against Nagai, this time in the fight for the US$ 20,000 prize.
Murasaki looks like the most natural fit, but the last spot leaves room for a surprise
The five cases have different arguments.
Dalpra would bring a huge sporting impact. Dorsey comes backed by recent results. Gomes and Gabriel would need to change weight classes, but they have the record of world champions.
Murasaki, however, is in a situation that none of the others have.
He is the two-time defending champion of the Crown at middleweight.
As long as his name does not officially appear on the list, or another athlete is announced to complete the division, the absence of the competitor who won the 2024 and 2025 editions will remain one of the main questions about the division.
The IBJJF has not revealed who will get the spot yet.
Depending on the choice, a bracket that already draws attention could become even tougher.
Who is already in the bracket
The IBJJF has already announced seven names at middleweight: Mica Galvão, Tarcisio Santos, Jackson Nagai, José Steve, Leonardo “Leleo” Souza, Rafael Gamba and Uanderson Ferreira. The Crown takes place at the Walter Pyramid and is streamed on FloGrappling. VF Comunica’s coverage of the Crown is presented by Kingz.
Read also: Crown 2026 middleweight bracket has Mica Galvão, four first-timers and no former Crown champion.
In your opinion, who should get the last middleweight spot at the Crown 2026? Leave your opinion in the comments.
