BJJ champ Lucas ‘Hulk’ Barbosa to make return to MMA at PFL Challenger Series
Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, will make his Professional Fighting League debut later in February 2022.
Barbosa is currently scheduled to go toe-to-toe with Troy “The Ghost” Green at the PFL Challenger Series on Friday, Feb. 25 in the welterweight division. It would mark Barbosa’s first time in an MMA fight in 10 years.
During his storied career, “The Hulk” spent most of his time fighting in the medium-heavyweight division. In BJJ, that clocks in at about 195 pounds with a gi. However, he’s primarily competed in no-gi matches and has amassed a respectable record of 19-3 in 2021.
Some of his more notable wins were fights against Gilbert Burns, Leandro Lo, Matheus Diniz, and Yuri Simoes.
“The Hulk” is one of the most accomplished BJJ fighters currently on the international scene. He made black belt after finishing in first place at both the IBJJF Worlds and the Abu Dhabi World Pro competitions in 2015.
Barbosa’s career includes a number of other major titles, including IBJJF gi Worlds, No-Gi Worlds, Pans, Europeans, and American Nationals. He also placed third at the 2019 ADCC.
Back in November 2021, “The Hulk” competed in a “super fight” at the Raw Grappling Championship, during which he was declared a winner by armbar against Gerard Labinski.
Although this is Barbosa’s first MMA match in a decade, it won’t be his first time in the octagon. He had a 2-1 professional MMA record back in 2012. His second fight was decided by a rear-naked choke and his third by technical knockout.
Born in Boa Vista, Roraima, Brazil, Barbosa initially made his break into the scene on “The Team” web series. He competed with Marcio Rodrigues’ team and made a name for himself by taking part in Copa Podio pay-per-view events. After his breakthrough, Barbosa went on to cement his status with wins at the IBJJF World Championships and Brazilian Nationals in the brown belt division.
He eventually moved to the United States and switched to team Atos, a BJJ competition group led by trainer Andre Galvao. Even so, he is widely considered one of Brazil’s best talents in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu on the international stage.
“The Hulk” currently trains full-time at the San Diego-based Atos headquarters — a well-known Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym. Back in November 2020, he said he was training MMA with some of his partners who had experience beyond BJJ.
While Atos focuses on BJJ, there are a growing number of other gyms in the San Diego region that teach a variety of fighting styles. The Arena Gym, for example, is a famous example of an MMA gym in San Diego that offers a range of training programs.
However, there are indications that Atos is moving toward introducing more MMA fighting to its roster. Galvao, the leader of the group, recently signed with One Championship, a Singapore-based mixed martial arts promotion. In addition, Kade and Tye Ruotolo — two prolific Atos BJJ grapplers — have also recently expressed interest in MMA.
Although thoroughly a BJJ champion, “The Hulk” is said to have a grappling style that’s well-suited to MMA. He takes an approach that focuses on takedowns and maintaining control from the top.
The fight on Feb. 22 is just part of the broader PFL Challenger Series, which kicks off on Friday, Feb. 22 at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The series will last eight weeks and will see a number of competitors across various weight classes vying for PFL contracts. PFL will award one contract to a new fighter each week.
Fans will also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite undiscovered fighters. A celebrity panel will ultimately decide which fighters get contracts.
Other notable fights slated for the PFL Challenger Series include Bevon Lewis vs. Marcelo Nunes, Dilano Taylor vs. Mark Martin, and Joao Paulo Fagundes vs. Bruce Souto, Alexander Poppeck vs. Taylor Johnson, and Carlos Leal vs. Socrates Pierre.
The PFL Challenger Series is also an opportunity for the league to conquer more space in the MMA world. CEO Peter Murray in 2021 said that the series could be an opportunity to change the game for the PFL, according to Forbes.
