The 2024 edition of The Crown is coming ever closer and the IBJJF have just released the full lineup for the event’s heavyweight division. The bracket is full of some of the best grapplers in the world and this time there’s 8 of them, as the divisions have doubled in size since last year. The heavyweight division is going to be a little less predictable than some of the other brackets though, as this one doesn’t have a returning champion. Fellipe Andrew won the tournament in 2023 but after failing a PEDs test earlier this year, he is not eligible to compete in IBJJF events at the moment.
Although Andrew won the inaugural edition of The Crown and isn’t returning, the silver medalist from last year is coming back for another attempt. That man is Gustavo Batista, and he’ll be one of the favorites to emerge as the new champion without his old rival in the lineup. Another grappler who stands out as an early favorite is Adam Wardzinski, who is riding a huge wave of momentum now as he’s right in the middle of the best year of his competitive career. Wardzinski won the IBJJF World Championship this year at this weight, but he isn’t the only man in this division who stood on the podium.
Both Rider Zuchi and Paulo Merlin won bronze medals at the IBJJF World Championship this year and although they weren’t able to make it to the final, they are still contenders in the heavyweight division of The Crown 2024. The rest of the lineup isn’t going to be any easier either, and in fact there are some incredibly experienced veterans who have been invited. Patrick Gaudio is coming in fresh off something of a resurgence this year, as he was able to win three gold medals at the IBJJF Brazilian National Championship across both gi and no gi.
Gaudio isn’t the only veteran grappler here either, as Horlando Monteiro has over a hundred submission wins at black belt even if most of them are at medium-heavyweight. Matheus Spirandeli also normally competes at a slightly lighter weight class and although he might be a little smaller than some of his opponents, he has a ton of experience to draw from after competing at black belt for almost a decade. Rounding out the bracket is Mateus Rodrigues, who is one of the newest black belts here after being promoted just under 3 years ago but he will still be very tough for anyone to beat.
The full IBJJF: The Crown 2024 event, including the heavyweight division above, is available to watch live on November 17th, 2024, on FloGrappling, click here to subscribe and watch.
