Three more elite competitors have thrown their names in the mix for the IBJJF 2018 European Championship: Leandro Lo, Lucas "Hulk" Barbosa, and Edwin Najmi.  

The tournament runs from Jan. 15-21 in Lisbon, Portugal, and is streaming LIVE on FloGrappling.

Edwin Najmi - Lightweight  

Najmi has captured the attention of fans and competitors alike with his laid-back, seemingly indifferent style that beckons his opponents to overcommit and expose themselves. Entering his third year as a black belt, Najmi now has plenty of black belt experience to match his exceptional tools — which is good, because he’ll need both to overcome a stacked lightweight division this year at the European Championship. 

Other leading candidates for a podium finish include Michael Langhi, who is going for a record sixth European black belt title; fierce Norwegian competitor Espen Matheisen; and firecrackers Hugo Marques and Renato Canuto.

Don’t count out the wild cards though: competitors such as John Combs, Ali Munfaradi, and Jake Mackenzie all have the tools to get it done on the right day.

Leandro Lo and Lucas Barbosa - Putting the ‘H’ In Medium-Heavy

In a surprising move, both Barbosa and Lo have made the decision to drop down to medium-heavy for the European Championship.  

Lo famously packed on a ton of muscle throughout 2017, competing at heavyweight in a bid to win every absolute division he entered and hound Erberth Santos in the rankings. A drop down to medium-heavy places Lo back in the weight class that saw him win two world titles. Will the added muscle make the weight cut that much more brutal, or has Lo slimmed down for 2018? 

We’ll find out soon.  

Leandro Lo certainly bore the weight of the extra muscle during the 2017 season.

Barbosa most recently competed at No-Gi Worlds in the super-heavyweight division — two weight classes above medium-heavy: meaning he’ll need to shed some serious weight in order to make the 195lb limit. This is Hulk’s first appearance at Europeans since 2016, and he’s surely hungry to continue the positive momentum from 2017 into the New Year. 

Other standout athletes in the medium-heavyweight division include GFTeam's Patrick Gaudio, Matheus Spirandeli from NS Brotherhood, Charles Negromonte out of Roger Gracie Academy, and Horlando Monteiro representing Kimura Academy.

Watch the IBJJF 2018 European Championship LIVE or On Demand, only on FloGrappling