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Lucas Barbosa

“Hulk”

Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa carried powerful throws and guard passing from Boa Vista to world titles, MMA, and an Oregon academy built with his brother.

Last updated: 14 September 2026

Biography

Lucas Barbosa’s career has stretched from Boa Vista in Brazil’s far north to Rio de Janeiro, California, and eventually Eugene, Oregon. Known as “Hulk,” the Brazilian black belt became a world champion in both gi and no-gi competition, returned to professional MMA after more than a decade away, and now runs an academy with the older brother who helped guide his earliest development. Barbosa was born in Boa Vista, Roraima, on February 13, 1992. His family encouraged him to play sport, and he swam and played basketball before taking up taekwondo and judo around the age of ten. A Digitsu biography traces his introduction to jiu-jitsu to a holiday visit with his godfather when Barbosa was fifteen. Diego Lopes was his first instructor, Cristiano Carioca awarded him his blue belt, and his older brother André Fabiano became an important teacher and mentor. By purple belt, Barbosa had decided to pursue jiu-jitsu professionally. He moved from Boa Vista to Rio de Janeiro, where he lived and trained with other fighters under Márcio Rodrigues. The Hulk nickname emerged during this Rio period and reflected his throwing ability and pressure passing. The nickname followed him as his competitive opportunities widened. Fabiano and Rodrigues promoted Barbosa to brown belt. In 2014, he joined Leandro Lo’s squad for Copa Podio’s THE TEAM web series. His performance there helped open the door to the promotion’s main individual events. After winning the brown-belt World Championship in 2015, Barbosa received his black belt from Fabiano and relocated to California to join Atos. By June 2019, a Globo Esporte profile described Barbosa as the 2018 gi World champion after four no-gi World titles. It also recorded him as the leading IBJJF no-gi athlete in the 2017–18 season and the best IBJJF athlete in 2018–19. His game combined physical pressure with detailed positional work. A 2018 technical feature showed that detail through two passes from X-guard, a position in which the bottom athlete uses crossed leg hooks to control one of a standing opponent’s legs. Barbosa’s approach began with upright posture and breaking the opponent’s grips before they could stretch him off balance. He then changed his angle to move around the legs, finishing either in side control or behind the opponent. The sequence matched the qualities associated with his nickname while showing the structure behind them. Barbosa also kept returning to Roraima. In 2019, he taught children and instructors in the Abrindo Caminhos project in Boa Vista. He said he wanted young people in the state to see that sport could offer another path to success and hoped to raise the level of jiu-jitsu in the region. Barbosa’s no-gi record also extended to ADCC Worlds. He earned bronze in the men’s under-99-kilogram division in 2019 and silver in the under-88-kilogram division in 2022. Professional fighting remained another part of his ambitions. In a November 2020 interview, Barbosa said better financial opportunities and the chance to test himself were driving a planned return to MMA. He had fought professionally in 2011 and 2012 before concentrating on jiu-jitsu, and said he had continued working on his striking. The return eventually happened on January 27, 2023, at PFL Challenger Series, where Itso Babulaidze defeated him by unanimous decision after three rounds. The bout brought Barbosa’s professional MMA record to 2–2. Between announcing that ambition and making the return, Barbosa began a new chapter in Oregon. He moved to Eugene in September 2021 to develop Atos Northwest. Barbosa said the area had considerable talent but few high-level gyms, and he wanted to improve the training opportunities available there. Fabiano later joined him. The partnership extended a relationship that had shaped Barbosa’s career from the beginning: Fabiano had been an important teacher and mentor, and his service in the Brazilian Air Force had limited his own competitive career while he also taught jiu-jitsu. André Galvão awarded Barbosa the third degree on his black belt in November 2024. Barbosa also remained active in elite jiu-jitsu. At the 2025 IBJJF Crown, his first IBJJF event in two years, he beat Windson Torres by decision in the quarterfinal before losing a semifinal decision to Nolan Stuart. He did not win the subsequent third-place match against Paulo Merlin. The Eugene academy now presents itself publicly as Pace Jiu-Jitsu. Its current staff page lists Lucas Barbosa as founder and head professor and André Fabiano as head professor, following the school’s earlier public identity as Atos Northwest. In Eugene, the brothers’ shared work continues a relationship that began in Boa Vista and remained central through Barbosa’s moves to Rio and California.

Sources for this profile

Sherdog, “Lucas Barbosa” (complete athlete profile; accessed 13 September 2026).(opens in a new tab)
- Sherdog lists Barbosa's birthplace as Boa Vista, Roraima, and his birth date as 13 February 1992.
  Where in the source: Athlete identity header — location and birth date
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
- Barbosa's MMA record shows an early run in 2011–2012, followed by a comeback on 27 January 2023 at PFL Challenger Series. Itso Babulaidze defeated him by unanimous decision after three rounds in that return.
  Where in the source: Complete four-bout professional record, first and last rows
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
- Sherdog identifies Barbosa's country as Brazil.
  Where in the source: Athlete identity header — country Brazil
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
Todd Shaffer, “Lucas Hulk Barbosa,” BJJ Fanatics, 14 December 2018.(opens in a new tab)
- Barbosa grew up in a family that encouraged sport. He swam and played basketball before taking up taekwondo and judo around age ten.
  Where in the source: Lucas Hulk Barbosa — childhood paragraph
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
- Fabiano and Rodrigues awarded Barbosa his brown belt. In 2014 he appeared in Copa Podio's THE TEAM web series on Leandro Lo's squad; his performance opened the way to the promotion's main events.
  Where in the source: Lucas Hulk Barbosa — Rodrigues/Fabiano and THE TEAM paragraphs
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
- After winning the brown-belt World Championship in 2015, Barbosa received his black belt from André Fabiano and relocated to California to join Atos.
  Where in the source: Opening athlete biography — brown-belt World title, black belt and California move
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
Digitsu, “Lucas Barbosa” (complete reference biography; accessed 13 September 2026).(opens in a new tab)
- At fifteen, a holiday visit to his godfather introduced Barbosa to jiu-jitsu. Diego Lopes was his first teacher; Cristiano Carioca awarded his blue belt.
  Where in the source: Early Life and Martial Arts Foundation; BJJ Development and Belt Progression
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
Joshua K., “Lucas ‘Hulk’ Barbosa — Brazilian Powerhouse,” Grapplezilla, 15 December 2021.(opens in a new tab)
- As a purple belt, Barbosa decided to pursue a jiu-jitsu career and moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he lived and trained with other fighters under Márcio Rodrigues.
  Where in the source: The Hulk’s Journey Into Jiu-Jitsu — purple-belt move to Rio
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
- The profile places the emergence of Barbosa's Hulk nickname in his Rio period and connects it to his throwing ability and pressure passing.
  Where in the source: The Hulk’s Journey Into Jiu-Jitsu — nickname following the Rio paragraph
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
Ivonisio Lacerda Jr., ge, Lucas Hulk ministra seminário para dividir conhecimento, 30 June 2019.(opens in a new tab)
- By June 2019, Barbosa had won the 2018 gi World Championship after four no-gi World titles. The report described him as the leading IBJJF no-gi athlete in 2017/18 and the best IBJJF athlete in 2018/19.
  Where in the source: Career summary following 2018 podium image
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
- On a 2019 visit to Boa Vista, Barbosa taught children and instructors in the Abrindo Caminhos programme. He said he wanted young people in Roraima to see that they could succeed in sport and other work and wanted to raise the state's jiu-jitsu level.
  Where in the source: Seminar report and Barbosa's two quoted responses
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
Graciemag, Lucas Hulk ensina duas opções para passar a guarda X, 28 February 2018.(opens in a new tab)
- In a 2018 technical feature, Barbosa demonstrated two ways of passing X guard. The accompanying explanation emphasized an upright posture, breaking grips before his opponent could stretch him off balance, and changing the angle to pass to side control or the back.
  Where in the source: Full technical explanation before embedded video
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
BJJ Heroes, Lucas Barbosa Talks Of MMA Plans, 27 November 2020.(opens in a new tab)
- In a November 2020 interview, Barbosa explained his interest in returning to MMA through both the prospect of better financial returns and the challenge of testing himself again. He had competed when younger, then concentrated on jiu-jitsu, while retaining some striking practice.
  Where in the source: Complete interview, reasons for returning and previous MMA training
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
BJJ Heroes, Atos Northwest, Home to the Barbosa Family Shaking Up The Oregon BJJ Scene, undated.(opens in a new tab)
- In September 2021 Barbosa moved to Eugene, Oregon, to develop Atos Northwest. He said the area had considerable talent but few high-level gyms, and that he wanted to improve that training opportunity.
  Where in the source: Full academy feature, move and reasons for choosing Oregon
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
- His older brother André Fabiano Barbosa joined him in Oregon. André had been an important teacher and mentor for Lucas; service in the Brazilian Air Force had limited André's competitive career while he also taught jiu-jitsu.
  Where in the source: Brother's biography and family coaching history
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
Atos Jiu-Jitsu HQ, The Hulk Gets His 3rd Degree, 11 November 2024.(opens in a new tab)
- André Galvão awarded Barbosa the third degree on his black belt in November 2024.
  Where in the source: Promotion notice: third-degree award paragraph signed by André Galvão
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
Kaelan Crisosto, IBJJF, The Crown 2025: Champions Reign, New Stars Rise, 26 November 2025.(opens in a new tab)
- Barbosa returned to IBJJF competition at The Crown in 2025 after a two-year absence from its events. He defeated Windson Torres by decision in the heavyweight quarterfinal, lost a semifinal decision to Nolan Stuart, and did not win the third-place match against Paulo Merlin.
  Where in the source: Full Heavyweight bracket and preceding division narrative
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
Pace Jiu-Jitsu, Staff, current official academy page.(opens in a new tab)
- His Eugene academy's current staff page identifies Barbosa as founder and head professor, with André Barbosa also listed as a head professor.
  Where in the source: Staff page, named founder and head professor headings
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
Pace Jiu-Jitsu, current academy homepage.(opens in a new tab)
- The Eugene academy now presents itself as Pace Jiu-Jitsu on its homepage, while older Atos Northwest wording and its original domain remain on the same site.
  Where in the source: Homepage hero, new-website notice and location section
  Accessed: 2026-09-13
ADCC Federation, ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship 2019 — Official Results.(opens in a new tab)
- Barbosa won bronze in the men's under-99-kilogram division at the 2019 ADCC World Championship.
  Where in the source: OFFICIAL RESULTS — MALE -99KG, complete first-to-fourth placings
  Accessed: 2026-09-14
ADCC Federation, ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship 2022 — Official Results.(opens in a new tab)
- Barbosa won silver in the men's under-88-kilogram division at the 2022 ADCC World Championship, where Giancarlo Bodoni took gold.
  Where in the source: OFFICIAL RESULTS — MALE -88KG, complete first-to-fourth placings
  Accessed: 2026-09-14

Competition results

Recorded tournament results, newest first
Year	Event	Result	Division
2022	ADCC 2022Source: adcombat.com-88 kgNo-giVerified	2nd place	-88 kgNo-giVerified
2019	ADCC 2019Source: adcombat.com-99 kgNo-giVerified	3rd place	-99 kgNo-giVerified
2018	IBJJF World ChampionshipSource: en.wikipedia.org-88 kgGiVerified	1st place	-88 kgGiVerified

Lineage

No teaching connections are shown on this page.

Open lineage