Sam Nagai says he will be aggressive and chase submissions at the IBJJF Crown on Nov. 8 in Long Beach, where the bracket has not been revealed yet.
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.
- Nagai won the inaugural 2023 Crown featherweight title and would be the first two-time champion with another win.
- Nagai finished second to Cole Abate in the 2026 Pan and Worlds featherweight finals.
- The featherweight field also includes Jun Yong Cho, Keven Carrasco, Joao Mendes, Will Wilson, Mateo Cardona, Ademir Barreto and Rerisson Gabriel; the bracket is still to be revealed.
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
- Sam Nagai says he will be aggressive and chase submissions at the IBJJF Crown on Nov. 8 in Long Beach, where the bracket has not been revealed yet.
- Key points (one per line)
- The IBJJF Crown is on Nov. 8 at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid in Long Beach
Six divisions of eight invited athletes each, with a $20,000 prize per division
Nagai lost the 2026 Pan and Worlds featherweight finals to Cole Abate
The official bracket has not been revealed
- Also reported by (Name | URL per line)
- MiddleEasy | https://middleeasy.com/brazilian-jiu-jitsu/sam-nagai-aggressive-crown-return-two-major-finals/
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