BJJ prodigies Sarah Galvao, Cole Abate among 3 new champions at 2025 IBJJF Crown

The most prestigious professional gi event happened on Sunday, with three new champions emerging at the 2025 IBJJF Crown. Two of those new winners were young Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) prodigies, while the other involved a massive upset over a legend.

Full results, with details from every match can be found here.

Sarah Galvao, Cole Abate, and Nolan Stuart crowned

Three new champions were crowned (pun intended) on Sunday, with the biggest winner from the event being 19-year-old BJJ phenom Sarah Galvao. Despite being a teenaged rookie black belt, the second generation jiu-jitsu star managed to win the major title in what was by far the deepest bracket at the 2025 IBJJF Crown.

Women’s lightweight was a bracket stacked with top ranked IBJJF champions like Janaina Lebre, Cassia Moura, Brianna Ste-Marie, Bianca Basilio, Thalyta Silva and Elisabeth Clay. Showcasing that dynamic passing and top game reminiscent of her father, BJJ legend Andre Galvao, Sarah managed to come out of that group and establish herself as the best female grappler in the gi today.

Galvao submitted the 2024 Crown champion in Ste-Marie in the opening round, then avenged a previous UFC FPI loss to Moura in the semifinals. In the finals, the 19-year-old rookie black belt beat the reigning IBJJF world champion in Lebre to win the prestigious IBJJF Crown title.

Another young grappler also shined at the 2025 IBJJF Crown, with Cole Abate winning another major title in the gi. The 21-year-old AOJ star won the crown at featherweight, beating reigning IBJJF world champ João Mendes, and UFC BJJ veterans Kennedy Maciel and Danilo Moreira.

Also making waves was Nolan Stuart, who became the heavyweight champion and secured the biggest upset of the event by beating the tournament favorite and IBJJF grand slam champion Adam Wardzinski. He not only beat the BJJ legend, he impressively submitted him with an omoplata in the finals.

Gabi Pessanha, Erich Munis become 3-time IBJJF Crown champions

While three new champions were crowned in the event, three other BJJ stars held onto their titles at the 2025 IBJJF Crown and won another $20,000 for their efforts.

Gabi Pessanha and Erich Munis continued their streak of dominance, with the reigning IBJJF world champions each landing two submissions and winning their respective tournaments at super-heavyweight and ultra-heavyweight. Both Pessanha and Munis are now three-time IBJJF Crown winners, as they have won every single year since the professional event’s inception in 2023.

Atos product Andy Murasaki also successfully defended the title he won last year, winning the middleweight tournament and becoming a two-time IBJJF Crown winner.