BJJ Stars 19

Gregor Gracie delivered one of the most dominant performances of the night, capturing BJJ Stars' inaugural Masters Absolute title with three submission victories across four matches. His tournament run was defined by finishing ability, beginning with a first-round gi choke over Luis Marques that immediately set him apart from a field in which most bouts went to the judges.

The lone deviation from that pattern came in the quarterfinals, where Filipe Carmona pushed Gracie to a judges' decision — the only time all tournament that Gracie failed to secure a finish. He responded emphatically in the semifinals, submitting Wellington Sebastiao with an Arm Triangle Choke, before closing out the championship with another Gi Choke to tap Leandro Maia in the final. The recurring presence of gi chokes across multiple matches indicates that at least portions of the card were contested in the gi.

First Round

The 16-man bracket opened with eight first-round matches, the majority settled by judges' decision. Gregor Gracie was the only competitor to earn a first-round submission, finishing Luis Marques via Gi Choke and immediately distinguishing himself as a finisher in a field of decision-heavy grapplers.

Rafael Lovato Jr, the lone American entrant and one of the pre-event favorites based on his size and elite competition résumé, advanced past Rodrigo Caporal by decision. Filipe Carmona eliminated Rafael Barbosa by decision, while Leandro Maia edged Jaime Canuto — highlighted before the event for his highlight-reel approach — also by decision. Horlando Monteiro, one of the heavier entrants in the field, defeated Lucas Barros by decision. Rodrigo Ribeiro topped Lucas Laet by decision, and Anderson Lima dispatched Wilson Bueno by decision.

Wellington Sebastiao also advanced by decision, eliminating Sergio Rios — who had won double gold in his age bracket at the 2025 IBJJF No Gi World Championship — and ending Rios' tournament run in the opening round.

Quarterfinals

The quarterfinals continued the pattern of close, judges-decided contests. Leandro Maia ended Rafael Lovato Jr's run with a decision victory, while Gregor Gracie advanced over Filipe Carmona by decision — his only match of the tournament without a finish. Horlando Monteiro defeated Anderson Lima by decision, and Wellington Sebastiao edged Rodrigo Ribeiro by decision to complete the semifinal lineup.

Semifinals

Leandro Maia continued his march to the final with a decision win over Horlando Monteiro. Gregor Gracie was more decisive, submitting Wellington Sebastiao via Arm Triangle Choke to secure his place in the championship match.

Final

Gregor Gracie closed out the tournament in authoritative fashion, submitting Leandro Maia via Gi Choke to claim the inaugural BJJ Stars Masters Absolute title. The finish underscored a tournament-wide theme: in a bracket dominated by decisions, Gracie's ability to apply consistent submission pressure proved to be the decisive edge.

The superfight portion of BJJ Stars 19 featured six bouts, with three submission finishes among them.

Renato Moicano submitted Patricky Freire via Arm Triangle Choke in one of the card's marquee matchups. In the main event women's superfight — the only women's bout on the card — Livia Barasine submitted Giovanna Carneiro via Arm Triangle Choke, claiming the contest decisively. James Ortiz supplied the card's third finish, defeating Nicolas Vieira with a Rear Naked Choke.

The remaining three superfights went to the judges. Roberto Godoy defeated Diogo Almeida after a competitive exchange, Suyan Queiroz edged Andrei Andrezzo in a closely contested bout, and Willian Arimura topped Marcos Vinicius by decision.

Four of the six superfights — the bouts involving Godoy, Queiroz, Ortiz, and Arimura — were not part of the original pre-event announcement and were confirmed only through post-event coverage, indicating they were added to the card closer to the event date.