With $15,000 at stake, The Crown's featherweight GP is shaping up to be a memorable one. One of the four men set to enter the division, the black belt Fabricio Andrey is looking to put on his best performance both as an athlete and as a showman, working hard to strike that essential balance between effective and entertaining. 

He'll need to employ that strategy against three other world champions, each as hungry as he is for that shining new title.

Scheduled to take place on Nov. 19 at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA, The Crown will feature six weight divisions, with the featherweight category arguably the most fan freindly of the tournament.

With Isaac Doederlein, Samuel Nagai, and Diego Pato set to bring their fast and precise attacks to the table, Andrey will need to rely on all his mileage as a competitor to come out on top, all while giving the crowds what they want: another showing of that explisve jiu-jitsu that fans have come to expect from "the Hokage."

While this mission won't be an easy one, Andrey seems to be mostly impervious to the pressure. Rather, the Hokage said he is happy to be surrounded by heavy hitters at the IBJJF GP.

"It'll be awesome to take part in a GP with four world champions," he said. "Participating in such a high-level tournament, against the best out there, will be great."

With all competitors being world champions, the featherweight GP will feature the very best of the division. Andrey earned his world title in 2021, while Doederlein got his in the following year, and Nagai conquered the Worlds in 2023. Diego Pato, however, boasts not one but two world titles to his name, the most recent being won this year. Pato won both of his world titles at a smaller weight category, light featherweght.

For Andrey, however, the trick to overcome all these dangerous hurdles is to combine high-octane action with a sharp mind that's always ready for a good challenge.

"My ability to keep myself well physically and mentally is my strong suit. I bring an explosive and offensive game every time I step onto the mat. My opponents all have their traits, some are more explosive and others more technical, but they're all world champions and excellent professionals. This GP will not be an easy one."

Bolstering his training for the upcoming event, Andrey also relies on the experience he gained after fighting in the top tournaments jiu-jitsu has to offer. After becoming a world champion two years ago, and fighting in many high-level competitions since, he has been thinking about his approach as an athlete and considers himself to be in his best phase yet, striking the perfect balance between being the showman that earned him his fame with the talented and straightforward fighter that conquered all those medals. With The Crown looming on the horizon, Andrey still aims to entertain, but he'll remain focused on staying true to his essence.

"Even though I won the Worlds in 2021, I don't think it was my best year. I was very focused on putting on a show while fighting and ended up losing some competitions. On that note, this year I'm going to balance these two factors, that's my new goal: Bring an exciting game for the crowds, but also keep it polished enough to stay on top, Hokage style."

Fabricio Andrey and the competitors of the featherweight GP will show their skills on Nov. 19 in Long Beach, CA, live and exclusively at FloGrappling. The Crown will also feature five other GPs, each stacked with the very best from each weight division. Check out the full roster below and don't miss out on the action!

IBJJF's The Crown: Presented by Flograppling
Walter Pyramid, Long Beach-CA
November 19th, 2023

Men's Featherweight (70kg/154.3lbs)

• Fabricio Andrey, IBJJF World Champion
• Isaac Doederlein, IBJJF World Champion
• Samuel Nagai, IBJJF World Champion
• Diego Pato Oliviera, IBJJF World Champion

Men's Middleweight (82.4kg/181.4lbs)

• Andy Murasaki, 2-time IBJJF Worlds Finalist & Pans Finalist
• Tainan Dalpra, 2-time IBJJF World Champion & 3-time Pans Champion
• Pedro Maia, IBJJF Worlds & Pans Finalist
• Mauricio Oliveira, IBJJF Brasileiro Champion

Men's Heavyweight (94.3kg/207.9lbs)

• Fellipe Andrew, 2023 IBJJF World Champion, 4-time Pans Champion
• Gustavo Batista, 3-Time IBJJF World Champion, 4-time Pan Champion
• Francisco Lo, 2023 No-Gi Pan Champion
• Uanderson Ferreira, 2023 IBJJF Sul Americano Champion

Men's Ultra-Heavyweight (Unlimited)

• Erich Munis, 3-time World Champion, 2023 World Absolute Runner-Up
• Joao Gabriel Rocha, 2-time Pan Champion, 3-time World Medalist
• Roosevelt Sousa, 2023 Pans Medalist
• Victor Honorio, 2023 Brazilian Nationals double medalist

Women's Lightweight (64kg/141.1lbs)

• Janaina Lebre, 2022 IBJJF Grand Prix champion & 2-time IBJJF World Finalist
• Nathalie Ribeiro, 2-time IBJJF Worlds Medalist & 2-time IBJJF Pans Champion
• Brianna Ste-Marie, IBJJF Worlds Medalist
• Luiza Monteiro, 2-time IBJJF World Champion & 9-time Pans Champion

Women's Super-Heavyweight (Unlimited)

• Gabi Pessanha, 6-time IBJJF World Champion
• Amy Campo, IBJJF World Champion
• Melissa Stricker, 2-time IBJJF World Champion
• Nathiely de Jesus, 4-time IBJJF World Champion