The Crown is a brand new project from the IBJJF scheduled for November 19th, 2023 and the promotion has just confirmed the full lineup for the men’s ultra-heavyweight division of the event. There are a total of six different divisions taking place at the tournament, and each one features four of the best grapplers in their respective weight classes. They will be battling it out for a grand prize of $15,000 for each champion, and the event has a total of $120,000 of prize money to be divided up among the competitors.
The lineup for the ultra-heavyweight division of The Crown is just as impressive as the other divisions and three-time IBJJF World Championship winner Erich Munis stands out as the early favorite to take home the title from it. There are some fresh challenges waiting for him though, as he’s only ever competed against one of his potential opponents in the bracket; Roosevelt Sousa. Although he’s beaten the ADCC veteran before, both of those matches were won on advantages and things could easily have gone the other way if Sousa had won a few minor exchanges. Sousa is always a tough opponent for anyone too and it’s not hard to imagine him getting some revenge against Munis.
The third competitor, Joao Gabriel Rocha, also has some history with Sousa too. The pair have split their two matches against one another and fans might get to see the trilogy match at The Crown depending on how the bracket shapes up. Rocha is also the only man who has experience against the final competitor, Victor Honorio, although his loss against Honorio was around 6 years ago. That’s because Honorio spent a few years away from competition and has effectively missed the rise of both Munis and Sousa, but he’s been impressive form since his return. It’ll be interesting to see how he matches up with the two younger competitors, and where he stands in the landscape of the division today.
