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.”
