Thierry Felipe wants to take Seif Houmine down at The Crown

In an exclusive interview with VF Comunica, the 22-year-old ultra-heavyweight says he wanted the reigning world champion and sees a win as a step to make his name

Vitor Freitas October 28, 2026, 3:55 pm · 3 min read

Thierry Felipe wants to take Seif Houmine down at The Crown — Photo: VF Comunica

Thierry Felipe had picked his opponent before the draw. In an exclusive interview with VF Comunica, the ultra-heavyweight from Bahia, Brazil, said he wanted to face Seif-Eddine Houmine, the reigning IBJJF world champion, and he got his wish. The two meet in the quarterfinals of The Crown 2026 on November 8 at the Pyramid in Long Beach, California.

“I really wanted this fight. Seif is a very experienced athlete and a really good guy, but since he’s the reigning world champion, I think beating him would be a big step in my career and would help put my name out there,” Thierry said.

He already knows how he wants the match to go: “What I expect from this fight is a real fight. I’ll battle as long as it takes to get him to the ground.”

A debutant against the world champion

Thierry is 22 and arrives at The Crown with just over a month at black belt. A world and European champion at purple belt, he was promoted in September and, in his black belt debut, won the open class at the Sacramento Fall Open on October 17, beating Francisco Papasidero in the final. The same day, he also won the no-gi ultra-heavyweight division.

Seif is at the other end of his career. At 38, the GFTeam athlete, born in Morocco and based in France, had the best season of his life in 2026, winning the Europeans, the Pans and the Worlds at ultra-heavyweight for his second world title. After the Worlds, he left his belt on the mat, a gesture he explained in an interview with VF Comunica.

The road to the crown

The winner faces the winner of Pedro Machado vs. Anderson Kauan “Bolinho” in the semifinals. Bolinho replaced Helder Tropeço and lost to Seif in this year’s Pans final. On the other side, Erich Munis, who owns all three ultra-heavyweight crowns, opens against Papasidero, and Alexander Sak faces Matheus Vetoraci.

Before the draw, Thierry had already told VF Comunica he is working to leave Long Beach with the prize money and wins over the big names. Each of the six division champions takes home the crown and $20,000.

Can Thierry upset the world champion in his debut? Let us know in the comments.

VF Comunica’s coverage of The Crown is presented by Kingz.

Original story by VF Comunica, published at vfcomunica.com. Reproduction allowed only with credit and a link to the source.