The IBJJF Crown brackets are out for Nov. 8 in Long Beach, with Pessanha opening against Maria Ruffato and defending champion Nolan Stuart meeting Davi Vetoraci.
From 3 reports by 3 outletsLatest IBJJF Crown brackets released: Pessanha faces Ruffato, Stuart meets Vetoraci 2 updates 3 outlets
What we know
- The IBJJF Crown takes place Nov. 8 at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid in Long Beach, California.
- The Crown has six divisions with eight invited athletes each, 48 in total, and a $20,000 prize per division; FloGrappling is the listed streaming outlet.
- The brackets have been released and first-round matchups are set.
- Nagai won the inaugural 2023 Crown featherweight title and would be the first two-time champion with another win; he finished second to Cole Abate in the 2026 Pan and Worlds featherweight finals.
- Gabi Pessanha, a 12-time world champion, has won all three previous Crowns and opens her fourth against Maria Ruffato in the women's super-heavyweight bracket.
- Heavyweight: defending Crown champion Nolan Stuart opens against Davi Vetoraci; Vinicius Liberati meets Omar Nada.
- Super-heavyweight: three-time champion Erich Munis opens against Fran Papasidero; Seif-Eddine Houmine faces debutant Thierry Felipe.
- Women's lightweight: Janaina Lebre faces Nikolett Kis, Sarah Galvao faces Giovanah Oliveira, and Sabrina Gondim faces Elizabeth Clay.
Sam Nagai says he wants his return to the IBJJF Crown judged by the action he brings. In a written interview with the federation, he said: "Aggressive, focused on submissions, and no stalling." He called 2026 a learning year and said entertaining gi matches matter more to him than collecting titles.
Nagai reached the featherweight finals at both the 2026 Pan Championship and Worlds, losing to Cole Abate each time. Abate scored the decisive sweep late in the Pan final. Nagai won the first Crown featherweight title in 2023, and a win on Nov. 8 would make him the division's first two-time champion.
The Crown is at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid in Long Beach, California, with six divisions of eight invited athletes and a $20,000 prize per division. FloGrappling streams it. Nagai's field includes Jun Yong Cho, Keven Carrasco, Joao Mendes, Will Wilson, Mateo Cardona, Ademir Barreto and Rerisson Gabriel. First-round pairings are still to come.
Nagai reached the featherweight finals at both the 2026 Pan Championship and Worlds, losing to Cole Abate each time. Abate scored the decisive sweep late in the Pan final. Nagai won the first Crown featherweight title in 2023, and a win on Nov. 8 would make him the division's first two-time champion.
The Crown is at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid in Long Beach, California, with six divisions of eight invited athletes and a $20,000 prize per division. FloGrappling streams it. Nagai's field includes Jun Yong Cho, Keven Carrasco, Joao Mendes, Will Wilson, Mateo Cardona, Ademir Barreto and Rerisson Gabriel. First-round pairings are still to come.
- Summary
- The IBJJF Crown brackets are out for Nov. 8 in Long Beach, with Pessanha opening against Maria Ruffato and defending champion Nolan Stuart meeting Davi Vetoraci.
- Key points (one per line)
- The Crown is on Nov. 8 at The Pyramid in Long Beach, with six divisions and 48 invited athletes.
Gabi Pessanha, seeking a fourth Crown, opens against Maria Ruffato in the women's super-heavyweight bracket.
Heavyweight champion Nolan Stuart faces Davi Vetoraci; Erich Munis opens against Fran Papasidero at super-heavyweight.
Sam Nagai's bracket is also set.
- Also reported by (Name | URL per line)
- MiddleEasy | https://middleeasy.com/brazilian-jiu-jitsu/sam-nagai-aggressive-crown-return-two-major-finals/
Pos-Luta | https://posluta.com/crown-da-ibjjf-reune-48-feras-do-jiu-jitsu-em-long-beach-com-gabi-pessanha-mirando-o-tetra/
Recorte da Luta | https://recortedaluta.com.br/2026/10/27/ibjj-the-crown-2026-divulga-chaves-e-prepara-duelos-entre-campeoes-mundiais-confira-os-confrontos-definidos/
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How the story developed
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IBJJF Crown brackets released: Pessanha faces Ruffato, Stuart meets Vetoraci
Recorte da Luta
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Pessanha, winner of all three Crowns, seeks fourth title in super-heavyweight bracket
Pos-Luta
Sources
MiddleEasySummarized with AI from the sources above. Read the originals for the full story.
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