The star-studded BJJ Stars: Who’s Next event over the weekend brought many of jiu-jitsu’s living legends and top up-and-comers together for an unforgettable night of matches. With superfights and a middleweight GP bracket, plenty of top BJJ athletes got their chance to shine. In the end, though, it was Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa and Leandro Lo who faced off in the final.
The match was action-packed right from the start, with aggressive hand-fighting from both competitors leading into a shot from Barbosa. He took Lo to the ground, but Lo wasn’t giving up without a fight, scrambling and ultimately rolling right off the mats to keep the score at 0-0. The athletes were reset standing in the middle and wrestled on their feet, Lo doing a good job of defending another shot from Barbosa. Lo then went for a takedown of his own, but Barbosa evaded danger and capitalized on the opportunity to race to his opponent’s back. While Barbosa controlled Lo by the hips, Lo stayed balanced on his hands and feet.
Lo’s ability to stay somewhat in control didn’t last much longer, however, as another scramble gave Barbosa the chance to drive forward for another takedown. This time, Lo landed hard and stayed down, and Barbosa picked up two points. Barbosa fought his way to the back, earning another four points, and attempted a choke, Lo successfully defending the first attempt. The second rear naked choke attempt, however, got him the tap.
Lucas Barbosa was declared the winner by submission.
FULL RESULTS:
Prelims
- Pedro Machado def. Caio “BBG” Vinicius via points
- Jessica Caroline def. Duda Tozoni via points
- Leo Lara def. Jorge Michelan via rear naked choke
Superfights
- Samuel Nagai def. Matheus Onda via bow and arrow choke
- Meyram Maquine def. Murilo Amaral via choke
- Matheus Gabriel def. Luan Carvalho via armbar
- Tayane Porfirio def. Gabi Pessanha via points
- Nicholas Meregali def. Rider Zuchi via points
Middleweight No-Gi Grand Prix
Round 1
- Leandro Lo def. Rafael Paganini via points
- William Tackett def. Rousimar Palhares via points
- Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa def. Servio Tulio via points
- Mauricio Oliveira def. Mica Galvao via points
Semifinals
- Leandro Lo def. William Tackett via submission (injury)
- Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa def. Mauricio Oliveira via arm triangle
Finals
- Lucas Hulk Barbosa def. Leandro Lo via rear naked choke
