The IBJJF Crown is just over five weeks away and promises to be the organization’s biggest and more prestigious professional event to date. With twenty four of the best competitors competing in six divisions, fans can expect some of the most exciting and action packed matches of 2023. Pan, Brasileiro, and American National Champion Joao Gabriel Rocha will compete at The Crown in the ultra heavyweight division. Joao has been a black belt since 2013 and has fought the best competitors in the world for well over a decade. In 2014 he faced the biggest challenge of his life, but this time it was off the mats. He was diagnosed with cancer but showed the heart of a champion through his treatment, making his return to competition less than a year after the diagnosis. His return was very inspirational to the jiu-jitsu community as Joao won his most important titles after beating the illness. His last competition was the Pan No-Gi in Fort Worth, Texas, where Joao defeated three opponents to reach the open class final with his brother, Pedro Rocha. On Sunday, November 19th, Joao will compete alongside Roosevelt Sousa, Victor Honorio, and Erich Munis for the inaugural ultra heavyweight Crown. Tickets for the event will be available soon. If you can’t make the event live and in-person, be sure to catch the stream on flograppling.com. For more information on The Crown, please visit the following link.

https://ibjjf.com/news/the-ibjjf-crown-presented-by-flograppling