2023 The IBJJF Crown Presented by FloGrappling

The IBJJF Crown Lightweight Division Is A Tangled Web Of A Rivalry

The IBJJF Crown Lightweight Division Is A Tangled Web Of A Rivalry

Janaina Lebre, Luiza Monteiro, Brianna Ste-Marie & Tata Ribeiro have a messy history. It will only get messier at the IBJJF's The Crown with $15k at stake.

Nov 16, 2023 by Corey Stockton
The IBJJF Crown Lightweight Division Is A Tangled Web Of A Rivalry

The four-woman lightweight division coming to IBJJF’s The Crown presented by FloGrappling is a tangled web of rivalries.

These athletes have history with each other dating back through the last three years of competition. That history has rarely been one-sided. It’s a closely contested division, where — in almost every possible matchup — each competitor holds wins and losses against each other. 


Luiza Monteiro is the veteran, the only world champion of the division, and the favorite to win the $15,000 cash prize at the Crown on Nov. 19.

But she’ll have to get through Brianna Ste-Marie in the first round, then the winner of the other side of the bracket, where Janaina Lebre and Nathalie Ribeiro will square off to earn the other spot in the final.

The deep history between these women suggests that anything could happen. Here is how things have shaken out between the four head to head in their black belt careers:

  • Luiza Monteiro def Nathalie Ribeiro - 5x4 - 2020 Pans
  • Luiza Monteiro def Nathalie Ribeiro - armbar - 2021 Worlds
  • Luiza Monteiro def Janaina Lebre - referee decision - 2021 Worlds
  • Nathalie Ribeiro def Janaina Lebre - 10x0 - 2022 Euros
  • Janaina Lebre def Luiza Monteiro - 8x6 - 2022 IBJJF FloGrappling GP
  • Nathalie Ribeiro def Janaina Lebre - 11x4 - 2022 Pans
  • Janaina Lebre def Nathalie Ribeiro - 4x2 - 2022 Worlds
  • Luiza Monteiro def Nathalie Ribeiro - 11x4 - 2023 Euros
  • Janaina Lebre def Nathalie Ribeiro - 3x2 - 2023 IBJJF FloGrappling GP
  • Luiza Monteiro def Janaina Lebre - kneebar - 2023 IBJJF Pans
  • Luiza Monteiro def Brianna Ste-Marie - referee decision - 2023 Brasileiro
  • Brianna Ste-Marie def Luiza Monteiro - toe hold - 2023 Worlds
  • Janaina def Brianna Ste-Marie - advantages - 2023 Worlds

With a Penrose Staircase of results like this, there’s absolutely no predicting who will emerge from either side of the bracket, or who will take the Crown at the end of this bracket. Tune in to FloGrappling on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 4pm EST to watch it all play out.