The Brazilian promotion is back with a mix of legends and rising stars
BJJ Stars 7th event goes down on Saturday November 6th in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Since its inaugural event in February 2019, BJJ Stars has established itself as the premier professional promotion in Brazil. Previous editions have featured top athletes such as Beatriz Mesquita, Felipe Pena, Leandro Lo, Bianca Basilio, Isaque Bahiense, and Nicholas Meregali. BJJ Stars 7 has no shortage of star power, with a card combining new black belts, established veterans, and legends of the sport.
Gilbert “Durinho” Burns squares off against Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa in No-Gi main event
UFC welterweight title contender Gilbert Burns has a celebrated past competing on the professional jiu-jitsu circuit. Prior to embarking on his professional mixed martial arts career, he won IBJJF world titles in both gi and no-gi. Although most active fighters prefer to focus solely on their MMA careers, “Durinho” has continued to remain active on the professional jiu-jitsu scene, with his most recent win coming at WNO over Rafael Lovato Jr., another IBJJF World Champion who made a transition to MMA. Gilbert’s opponent in this match will be Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa, an Atos Jiu-Jitsu representative who has won IBJJF World, Pan American, and American National titles and who also has mixed martial arts aspirations. Although both competitors have formidable guard games, look for them to implement their wrestling skills, as they both prefer the top position and a pressure focused passing strategy.
ADCC Champion “Tanquinho” returns to no-gi competition
Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes has some of the best credentials in the light and featherweight divisions in the history of jiu-jitsu. He has won the Abu Dhabi World Pro, IBJJF gi and no-gi world titles, and an ADCC title in the 66 kg division, beating legends in the sport along the way. His last jiu-jitsu match was near the tail end of 2019, a Fight to Win match he won against Matheus Gabriel just a week after winning ADCC gold. Tanquinho will be taking on Bruno Frazatto, a guard specialist who’s won an IBJJF Pan American title and an ADCC Brazilian Trials tournament. This match will likely be a battle between Tanquinho’s pressure focused passing game and Frazatto’s flexible guard game.
Checkmat leader Leo Vieira competes for the first time since 2017
Since receiving his black belt in 1997, Leo Vieira has competed against the best grapplers in the world for over 20 years. In addition to winning ADCC, World, and Pan titles, he has also become one of the best coaches in the world. He started team Checkmat in 2008 with his brother Ricardo Vieira and has produced some of the sport’s best athletes in recent years. Leo will square off against another excellent competitor and coach in Cleber Luciano. Cleber received in black belt in 1993 and went on to win Pan American, World No-Gi, and Master’s World Titles. While both athletes are well-rounded in their approach, both prefer the top position. Leo Vieira prefers a looser passing approach while Cleber uses more pressure, so we’ll likely see a takedown battle as both athletes try to impose their games.
Below is the full card for the event:
Gilbert Burns vs. Lucas Barbosa
Augusto Mendes vs. Bruno Frazatto
Leo Vieira vs. Cleber Luciano
Luis Marques vs. Josh Hinger
Gutemberg Pereira vs. Marcus Scooby
Matheus Spirandeli vs. Rafael Dutra
AJ Agazarm vs. Celso Venicius
Fabio Romao vs. Roberto Tozi
Meyram Magquine vs. Tiago Barros
Sabatha Lais vs. Rebecca De Albuquerque