Erich Munis and Gabi Pessanha have never lost at The Crown
The only athletes to win every edition of the IBJJF invitational return to Long Beach on November 8 chasing a fourth straight title
Erich Munis and Gabi Pessanha have competed in all three editions of The Crown, the IBJJF invitational, and won all three. No other athlete has done that since the event started in 2023, and neither of them has lost a single match there.
On November 8, the two Brazilians return to the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California, chasing a fourth straight title. Erich took the last of the 48 spots at ultra heavyweight, and Gabi is confirmed at women’s super heavyweight.
2023: the first crown
At the first edition, in November 2023, Gabi beat Tayane Porfírio in the super heavyweight final. She scored the only two points of the match with a collar drag after getting back to her feet and held the lead until time ran out.
Erich’s path was unusual. Both athletes on the other side of the bracket were disqualified, so he only had to fight once that night, against Roosevelt Sousa. The match ended 2-2 on points, and Erich won on advantages, 5-0.
2024: Gabi finished everyone
In the second edition, Gabi won all three of her matches by rear-naked choke, including the final against two-time world champion Melissa Stricker.
Erich submitted Kristof Szucs with a straight ankle lock, beat Pedro Machado 15-6 and closed the night with an Ezekiel choke on Marcus “Scooby” Ribeiro in the final.
2025: the Tayane rematch
Gabi’s third title meant a little more. Earlier that year, at the Brazilian Nationals, Tayane Porfírio had snapped Gabi’s long unbeaten run. At The Crown, Gabi submitted Anabel Lopez and Maria Alencar with straight ankle locks and met Tayane again in the final. This time she won 6-0.
Erich also opened with two chokes, finishing Paulo Lanzillotti and Marcos Carrozzino. In the final, he beat Gustavo “Braguinha” Batista 4-0.
What comes next
The Crown 2026 features 48 athletes across six divisions, with a $20,000 prize for each champion. Gabi will once again have Anabel Lopez in her bracket, as we covered in Gabi Pessanha goes for a fourth Crown title.
Both come in as favorites, but neither has had an easy night in Long Beach. Do you think anyone can take the crown from Erich Munis or Gabi Pessanha this year?
