Lucas Hulk. IBJJF

Last weekend Atos’s Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa added a gold medal to his résumé by beating the medium heavyweight field at the Chicago Open. He used pressure in guard passes to defeat Matthew Leighton (Bonsai JJ) on points in the final.

Graciemag caught up with Lucas afterwards, and he had some good advice to help you evolve in BJJ, so read on.

Think positive

Adrenaline is part of any challenge, and most athletes feel that. What helps in this process is to think about positive things all the time. When we are in this moment of adrenaline, right before a fight, some doubts may emerge, which is normal. But, above all, we must watch what we think. It is a mistake to think, right before you fight, that your opponent will beat you because they’re coming off of good results. Focus on you alone.

Don’t be picky

Challenge yourself daily in training, no matter how tired. If your training partner has a good guard, try to pass it. If they are a good passer, then use your guard against them. Don’t go for the easy session; always do the training that is the most challenging.

Be observant

It’s normal to see athletes unfocused while not actively training, not taking advantage of that time to study. That is the moment when you can study and improve your BJJ. Take a minute to watch how your teacher applies advanced techniques and masterfully escapes attacks. Rest, but pay attention to what happens around you.

Drink plenty of water

Drinking water is very important to us athletes. It avoids cramping and injury, and sometimes it’s better than any isotonic.

Defeat can be a bridge toward evolution

Losing doesn’t feel good, but it is part of the process of evolution of a fighter. Defeat in BJJ exposes holes that need to be addressed so that you can do better next time. Starting from a given loss, it is advisable for you to act quickly: go to the gym the next day and work on those mistakes. Practice and practice. If you’ve been drilling ten times after training, start drilling 20 times. Whenever possible, do another session, even tired.

Chris Weidman seeks the fine adjustment to his kata-gatame to win in the UFC. Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman managed to win again in the main event of UFC on Fox 25. A black-belt under Renzo Gracie and Matt Serra, he used BJJ to dispatch Kelvin Gastelum via kata-gatame. Before Gastelum could even react, he had his arm and neck dominated while striving to get to half-guard.

To better understand the finish, we recruited Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa, a two-time IBJJF no-gi world champion. He walks us through Weidman’s technique. Don’t miss it!

Lucas looks to give Atos Jiu-Jitsu some precious points. Vitor Freitas

Lucas Barbosa is ready to compete in another edition of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, set to begin May 31st in Long Beach, Calif. Recently he had a dominant showing at the San Diego Open, beating the medium heavyweight field and then closing out the absolute division with his teacher André Galvão.

In the semifinal prior to that, Hulk used his powers to beat Horlando Monteiro (Nova União) on points. “I fought one of the toughest guys in the division, which is Horlando,” Barbosa said of the match. “He is a world champion and has a history in the colored belts. I knew it was not going to be an easy fight, so I showed a different strategy and came out with the win, thank God.”

Barbosa added: “Soon after that I closed it out with my teacher. The feeling is amazing. Galvão, as well as a teacher, is an idol. It was a dream to have closed out the division with him, and I hope it is the first of many.”

A two-time IBJJF no-gi world champion, Barbosa is still after his first world title in the gi. The medium heavyweight said of his chances this year: “I continue to be very focused. The bracket is very tough, and I think it is the hardest division of the World Championship outside the absolute. So every fight is going to be a World Championship final. I will continue with my hard work and positive thinking.”

He went on: “I train everything, both doing guard and passing, and that has been being reflected in my recent performances. In truth, I think the no-gi world title carries a weight. People respect black-belt no-gi champions. Even without the gi, it’s still BJJ. I, of course, have my no-gi skills that I can use in the gi, and experience also makes a great difference. I’m pretty pumped for the championship and will do my best to become champion.”

Barbosa also won at Five Grappling and bagged double gold at the Las Vegas Open recently.

[Based of a press release.]

Lucas Hulk defeated three fighters to win the Five Grappling belt. Ivan Trindade/ Five Grappling

Lucas Barbosa dominated three opponents to win the light heavyweight Five Grappling belt last Sunday in San Diego, Calif. The 25-year-old Atos fighter used takedowns and pressure to beat Marcel Louzado, Tarsis Humphreys and Nick Schrock in six-minute matches with no points counted.

Afterwards the “Hulk” talked to Graciemag. Here’s how it went.

“I began training judo first and then I got started in BJJ,” he said. “I’ve taken part in a few competitions, trained with some athletes from Brazil’s national team, and I always kept training that part. I believe a foundation in judo is an essential tool in BJJ. So I have judo as an admirable art, but I’m infatuated with BJJ. I’ve been doing very good preparation with my team, Atos, and with each passing day I feel my BJJ evolve. This makes me believe even more in my potential. I’m a guy who, in defeat or victory, will seek evolution.”

In the final, Lucas faced Nick Schrock, a student under Xande Ribeiro and longtime rival. “I had fought Nick several times and I was always able to impose my game and win,” Barbosa said. “I knew his game, so I was more prepared. But I also knew I couldn’t relax, because he is a guy who fights practically like I do. I think I could have adjusted my finishing positions a little better. I locked two foot locks on him. The first was pretty tight, and he felt it but managed to escape. In the second, when I locked the same move in place close to the end, I didn’t have time to go through with it. Even knowing I had the fight under control, I sought the finish.”

A brilliant performance, for sure — and there’s more coming up soon. “My focus remains on the IBJJF Pan,” says Barbosa. “There are many more challenges in my weight class and in the absolute, but I will do everything I can to maintain the performance I had at Five Grappling.”

Lucas Barbosa beats Louzado, Humphreys and Schrok to claim light heavyweight belt. Ane Nunes/Gentle Art Media

The Five Grappling light heavyweight belt finally has a owner. Atos JJ’s Lucas Barbosa powered through a star-studded bracket to claim the title this Saturday, March 11, at the Lincoln High School, in San Diego, California. The sold out event delivered a full day of action-packed matches featuring a wide array of talents, from young blue belts to experienced black bels.

The highlight of the program, as expected, was the 8-men light heavyweight GP. Lucas Barbosa, Nick Schrock, Tanner Rice, Tarsis Humphreys, Leandro Lo, Eliot Kelly, Erza Lenon and Marcel Louzado gifted the crowd with intense moments throughout the program. Here’s how the bracket played out.

Quarterfinals

On one side of the bracket, Nick Schrock opened the program at full speed against Erza Lenon. With Saulo Ribeiro on his corner, Schrock, aka The Moose, quickly found his way to his opponent’s back and took control of the lapels to get a choke in place.

Then, it was time for the other “all-American” quarterfinal match, between Tanner Rice and Eliot Kelly. The Norcal duel did not end in submission, but Tanner managed to convince the three referees that he deserved to be in the semifinals with good attacks from the bottom like an omoplata that got Eliot in trouble to escape.

The “Brazilian” side of the bracket kicked off with the biggest upset of the evening. Tarsis Humphreys kept the pressure on Leandro Lo for the entire six minutes of their match. A near guard pass midway through was probably enough for the three referees to consider Tarsis more effective and grant him the pass to the semifinals.

Tarsis Humphreys defeated Leandro Lo. Ane Nunes/Gentle Art Media

The last quarterfinal featured Lucas Barbosa and last minute stand in Marcel Louzado. Despite the short notice, Marcel proved to be ready for action. Both athletes chose not to take too many risks and remained on their feet, looking for a chance to take the opponent down. The referee saw it differently and ended up penalizing Louzado twice for lack of combativeness, which led to his disqualification and Barbosa securing a spot in the semifinals.

Semifinals

Nick Schrock knew how dangerous Tanner Rice’s guard could be, so he used all his pressure and also his speed to give Rice no space to attack. Schrock did more than that and also worked hard to pass, which in the end granted him a referee decision win and the spot in the final.

Pressure was also Lucas Barbosa’s main tool to give Tarsis Humphreys no room to move during the second semifinal. Barbosa threatened Humphreys’ guard throughout the match, forcing Tarsis to turn to the turtle position several times. In the end, the referees decided in favor of Barbosa.

Third Place Match

Once again, Tanner Rice made the best out of his well known guard game to catch Tarsis Humphreys in a foot lock that secured him the third place.

Final

As expected, its was an all out war. Both Barbosa and Schrock had no intentions of giving the opponent even one inch of advantage during the match. Powerful takedowns were the greeting cards presented by both athletes. Once on the ground, Barbosa was more successful on staying on top and threatening Schrock’s guard. He passed once, almost took the back and attacked at least one toe hold that caused Nick to spin his way out of the tough spot. In the end, the referees all agreed Lucas had done more during the match and unanimously declared him the winner and light heavyweight champion.

Lucas talked about his accomplishment: “I am extremely happy. I had three tough matches and I was able to come out on top at the end of it all. In the final match, I knew I had to take him down and control on the ground. He is a great opponent and I am glad I was able to make my game work.”

Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa. Ane Nunes/Gentle Art Media

Super matches

Also in the main card, five super matches completed the program with more thrills.

First, Gabi McComb and Catherine Perret battled it out for six minutes. Gabi came out as the winner via referee decision.

Then, Piter Frank beat Michael Liera Jr also via referee decision in another very close match.

Tammi Musumeci left nothing for the referees to decide. She “berimboled” her way to Janet Bishop’s back and finished with a neck crank.

Francisco Iturralde fought his way into Magid Hage’s guard and almost landed in full mount while avoiding the dangerous baseball choke that made Magid famous. Iturralde secured the victory via referee decision.

The final super match of the evening put Bia Mesquita against Talita Alencar. One of the most accomplished Jiu-Jitsu athletes of all times, Bia went for the kill and almost got it with a beautiful leg lock attack. Talita fought bravely as she always does and escaped the tight spot, but could not avoid the defeat via referee decision.

Bia Mesquita vs. Talita Alencar. Ane Nunes/Gentle Art Media

Undercard Results

Kyle Baker beat Taylor Rupert via referee decision
Marco Martinez beat Chris Reyes via referee decision
Ric Centron caught Carl Boudro with a bow and arrow choke
Ricardo Rea survived a tight triangle to beat Mike Khatchkian via referees decision
Bailey Lopp beat Xavier Silva via referees decision
Kyle Boehn beat Kaynan Duarte by referees decision
Hugo Marques caught Johnny Souza with a choke from the back
Brent Buskirk caught Nathan Murphy with an armbar inside the triangle for the finish.
Ricardo “Pancho” Feliciano beat Morgan Mainz via referee decision.
Tim Pablo found a hand triangle to finish Noah Tillis
Sergio Hernandez caught Alfredo Barum with a choke from side control
Baret Yoshida worked really hard on a bow and arrow choke to finish Ron Henderson
Fabricio Morango worked his way to a referee decision win over Stephen Martinez after a very tough match
Renato Canuto kept a fast pace during the entire match to beat Sergio Rios by referees decision

Lucas “Hulk” vs. Vinny Magalhães. IBJJF

Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa was the big winner at the San Jose International Open, held by the IBJJF last weekend in California. The Atos athlete won it all in gi and no-gi.

In the gi he took down the medium heavyweight division in the final versus Nathan Albrecht. In the open he defeated ADCC champion Vinny Magalhães.

In the no-gi section, Barbosa won the medium heavyweight title by default as nobody else showed up. In the absolute he beat Eliot Kelly, who had won the super-heavyweight division over Vinny Magalhães.

Lightweight Osvaldo Moizinho was victorious in the gi, as was featherweight Kim Terra.

Two-time world champion Caio Terra was the no-gi featherweight victor over Wallance Santos.

Click here to see the complete gi results, and here for the no-gi results.

[Toda glória a Deus] Hoje fui campeão categoria e absoluto no San Jose Open IBJJF. Tive lutas boas com vários atletas duros e graças a Deus tudo deu certo. Gostaria de agradecer meus amigos de treino pela torcida enquanto lutava, meu professor @galvaobjj pelos ensinamentos, e meus patrocinadores por todo o apoio para que isso pudesse acontecer. @badboybrands @athorganics @deltagrade @atosjiujitsuhq ?? . [All glory to God] Today I won double gold at the San Jose Open IBJJF. I had tough fights with really good opponents so I’m glad that everything worked out. Thank you to all my teammates for cheering me on in all of my fights, my professor #AndreGalvao for his patience in teaching me, and my sponsors for making this happen. @badboybrands @athorganics @deltagrade @atosjiujitsuhq ?? . . #bjj #jiujitsu #jiujitsulifestyle #atosjiujitsu #sanjoseopen #doublegold #badboy #defineyourlegacy #athorganics #seufocosuarealidade #yourfocusyourreality

A photo posted by Lucas Daniel Barbosa “Hulk” (@lucasbarbosajj) on Jan 28, 2017 at 10:15pm PST

Hulk nabbed his second no-gi championship. Léo Bandeira

For a second straight year, Atos star Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa claimed the title of no-gi BJJ world champion. This came to pass Nov. 6 in Daly City, Calif. In the heavyweight final, Lucas beat Vitor Oliveira (GFTeam) by just one advantage, adding to his 2015 victory at medium heavyweight.

“Vitor Oliveira is a tough athlete, and I respect his BJJ,” Lucas told Graciemag.com this week. “It was a tense fight where I couldn’t afford to err. I went in determined to win and, thank God, everything worked out. I think what set me apart in the championship was that I tried to work more on my weak points, approximate my techniques both on top and on the bottom. It made all the difference when it was time to fight. I got into some risky positions, but I kept cool and managed to win.”

Hulk walked us through his biggest scare: “There was a fight where the adversary tried to pass my guard, and I got on all fours, and soon afterwards he did the seatbelt, without the hooks, and didn’t score. I breathed, adjusted myself and was able to put him in the 50/50. From there I worked well and finished the adversary on the foot. I did three fights — I won two by submission and the other by the advantage.”

Lucas also revealed that he had problems that almost made him give up on fighting on the week of the competition: “It was the championship of tenacity. I really was not feeling very confident. I went some time without training, due to a series of injuries. It was a complicated camp for me. Thanks to Professor André Galvão, who motivated me from start to finish, I was able to go there and win.”

“In 2015 I won at medium heavyweight, and this year I want to fight at heavyweight and win gold again,” said Barbosa. “These are new challenges. I want to be a champion in different categories. Next year I may fight in yet another category — who knows? Maybe I’ll drop by middleweight or super-heavyweight. I’ll fight among the heavyweights with no pressure. I’m prepared to win and get this title.”

About how the presence or absence of the cloth changes things up for him, Barbosa said: “No-gi and gi BJJ are different things. My takedown game in the gi has a lot of seoi-nage and plenty of judo approaches. With no gi my takedowns are more like a wrestler’s, and my pass changes a bit, but with the same intensity. I think I do a better guard in no-gi; it’s a difference I have. I try to conciliate my two styles, gi and no-gi, at the same level.”

Lucas Hulk keeps on winning in the U.S. IBJJF

Atos BJJ’s Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa has been doing pretty well in IBJJF tournaments. After winning four golds at the Chicago International Open in August, Hulk won the Charlotte International Open, held last weekend in North Carolina. The 24-year-old used his skills to win middleweight gold and absolute silver.

“I fought Robby Malof of GFTeam in the final,” he told us about the middleweight decider. “He’s very tough. Before the fight, I saw how the subbed his opponents swiftly. He has a good guillotine and good wrestling, but I went in prepared, because I have teammates at Atos with the same style. This made my game easier, and thank God I became champion. I had a good campaign in the tournament, had a great day of work.

“The absolute final was a fight of details against Fernando Reis. I started out in front with the two points from the takedown. We already had penalties and, with 30 seconds to go, I took a penalty, and my opponent wound up tying the match. I attacked two chokes later, but I didn’t get my advantages. In my opinion it was a fight of details, and I could not afford to err. I erred and lost. Kudos to my opponent; he’s a tough athlete. Now it’s going back hom and correcting the mistakes, because next week there’s the Las Vegas Pro, and I’ll take a shot at becoming a two-time world no-gi champion — I can’t stop.”

Before competing, Lucas spent a week giving seminars in North Carolina. To the André Galvão pupil, the sport is treated at a different level in the States. “BJJ and the athletes are valued here in the U.S. The gyms are not just gyms; here it’s more than that — it’s a business. The teachers from the gyms are always looking for knowledge for their students’ evolution,” he says.

On the benefits that competing can bring to BJJ practitioners, Lucas had the following thoughts:

“It’s always good for you to test your game in championships, to know how your level stacks up. Besides, it helps keep the competition rhythm and also combat ghosts like anxiety, nervousness and adrenaline. Nutrition is a very important part of the life of the practitioner; it’s always good to leave the body healthy. I strive to eat as healthy as possible. Before leaving the house I try to make a strong breakfast to get started with a lot of energy, and, during the breaks in training, I’ll eat a cereal bar, or a fruit, or a protein shake.”

First place at the Charlotte. I wanna thank professors #FernandoVera #MarlonVera and all Atos Charlotte for the support. #BadBoy #AtosJiuJitsu #DefineYourLegacy

A photo posted by Lucas Daniel Barbosa (@lucasbarbosajj) on Oct 8, 2016 at 4:53pm PDT

Lucas “Hulk” gets four medals at the Chicago Summer Open. Photo Instagram

An Atos Jiu-Jitsu black-belt, Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa was the big name of the IBJJF Chicago Summer International Open, an event held August 13 and 14 in Chicago, Illinois. On Saturday, in the gi contests, hulk nabbed the medium heavyweight category as he beat Ezra Zendt Lenon (ATT) in the final, and he also got absolute gold over runner-up Carlos Eduardo Farias (Brasa). Sunday saw Hulk shine again, this time without the gi. Both in the medium heavyweight and in the open division, he won the gold as he closed them both out with his teammate Joshua Roy Hinger.

Another standout was the relentless Paulo Miyao, who won double gold in the light featherweight class at both gi and no-gi. Among featherweights, in the gi, Michael Musumeci won his first title under the banner of his new team, Caio Terra Association. Check out the complete results from the two days of competition.

Saturday, Aug. 13 — gi competitions

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light Feather
First – João Ricardo Bordignon Miyao – PSLPB Cicero Costha
Second – Mayko de Araujo Girotto Borges – CheckMat
Third – Anthony Joseph Ferro – Uflacker Academy

BLACK / Adult / Male / Feather
First – Michael Musumeci Jr.- Brasa CTA Second – Bruce Guevara – Uflacker Academy
Third – José Luis dos Santos Varella – GF Team
Third – João Alfredo Tavares Marinho – GF Team

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light
First – Jeffrey Timothy Cummings – Alliance
Second – Justin Nazaroff – Caique Jiu-Jitsu
Third – Athos Ribeiro de Miranda – Alliance
Third – Omar French – Carlson Gracie Team

BLACK / Adult / Male / Middle
First – Joshua Roy Hinger – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
Second – Lucas Benévolo Valle – infight jiu-jitsu
Third – John Taylor Combs – Easton BJJ
Third – Randolph Mason Welch – Team Lloyd Irvin

BLACK / Adult / Male / Medium Heavy
First – Lucas Daniel Silva Barbosa – Atos JJ Rio Claro
Second – Ezra Zendt Lenon – American Top Team
Third – Steven J. Patterson – Brasa CTA
Third – Gerrad F. Zec – Gracie Barra

BLACK / Adult / Male / Heavy
First – Tanner Wade Rice – Soul Fighter’s Chicago – IL
Second – Nick Schrock – Gracie Humaita USA
Third – John B Gutta – Bonsai JJ – USA

BLACK / Adult / Male / Super Heavy
First – William M. Shannon – Atos JJ USA

BLACK / Adult / Male / Ultra Heavy
First – Carlos Eduardo de Araujo Farias – Brasa CTA
Second – Kauê Vitorino Damasceno – Nova União
Third – Bruce James Hoyer – Brasa CTA

BLACK / Adult / Male / Open Class
First – Lucas Daniel Silva Barbosa – Atos JJ Rio Claro
Second – Carlos Eduardo de Araujo Farias – Brasa CTA
Third – Joshua Roy Hinger – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
Third – Nick Schrock – Gracie Humaita USA

Sunday, Aug. 14 — no-gi competitions

BLACK / Adult / Male / Feather
First – João Ricardo Bordignon Miyao – PSLPB Cicero Costha
Second – Bruce Guevara – Uflacker Academy
Third – Benjamin James Pitchford – Marcello C Monteiro Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy
Third – Mayko de Araujo Girotto Borges – CheckMat

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light
First – Jeffrey Timothy Cummings – Alliance

BLACK / Adult / Male / Middle
First – Lucas Benévolo Valle – Infight Jiu-Jitsu
Second – Robby Malof – GF Team

BLACK Adult / Male / Medium Heavy
First – Joshua Roy Hinger – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
Second – Lucas Daniel Silva Barbosa – Atos JJ Rio Claro
Third – Benjamin L Sheaffer – Marcello C Monteiro Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy

BLACK / Adult / Male / Heavy
First – John B Gutta – Bonsai JJ – USA
Second – Gerrad F. Zec – Gracie Barra

BLACK / Adult / Male / Ultra Heavy
First – Kauê Vitorino Damasceno – Nova União
Second – Bruce James Hoyer – Brasa

BLACK / Adult / Male / Open Class
First – Lucas Daniel Silva Barbosa – Atos JJ Rio Claro
Second – Joshua Roy Hinger – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
Third – John B Gutta – Bonsai JJ – USA
Third – Mayko de Araujo Girotto Borges – CheckMat