BJJ Stars 5 saw Felipe Pena storm to victory in a crowded field of elite grapplers, registering the only submission win of the tournament in the opening round against Luiz Panza. While Pena put on a fantastic display across his three matches, he was always one of the favorites to take home the crown and the real storyline happened on the other side of the bracket, courtesy of Gutemberg Pereira.
Pereira fell just short of the title when he lost to Pena in the final by a two-point margin, but his journey there was full of upsets. He had a tough test in the opening round against two-time IBJJF World Champion Nicholas Meregali but racked up enough advantages to see him through to a semi-final matchup against Lucas ‘Hulk’ Barbosa.