Tarcisio Santos makes weight, keeps fight weight a secret
On the eve of his Crown debut, the Brazilian will not say how much he will weigh on the mat. He opens against Natan Chueng at middleweight
Tarcisio Santos is ready for his debut at The Crown. The Brazilian made weight on Saturday, November 7, in Long Beach, California, and fights Natan Chueng in the middleweight quarterfinals on Sunday at the Pyramid.
Right after weigh-ins, VF Comunica asked how much he plans to weigh when he steps on the mat on fight day. Tarcisio smiled and kept it to himself. “Surprise,” he said. “It’s a secret.”
New to middleweight
The mystery makes sense. Tarcisio spent almost his whole career at lightweight and only moved up after this year’s World Championship in June, where he took bronze. At middleweight he has already won the American Nationals and Jiu-Jitsu CON, where he also took the open class.
A black belt since December 2025, when Marcio André promoted him on the podium of the No-Gi Worlds, he collected six lightweight golds and three open class golds at IBJJF Opens this season, plus double gold at the LA Open.
An opponent with history
Natan Chueng replaced Jackson Nagai in the bracket, the same athlete who knocked Tarcisio out of the lightweight final at Worlds. Chueng is a middleweight world runner-up.
If he gets past his first match, Tarcisio could face Andy Murasaki, the two-time Crown champion, in a rematch in the semifinals. He beat Murasaki on advantages in the round of 16 at Worlds. For that to happen, Murasaki has to beat Rafael Gamba in the first round. Each division champion takes home US$20,000.
VF Comunica’s coverage of The Crown is presented by Kingz.
How far do you think Tarcisio goes at The Crown?
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