By Michael Sears 

We are midway through day three at the 2018 IBJJF European Championships in Lisbon, Portugal.

The brackets have been finalized for the male adult purple belt open class, and the action is estimated to start around 11:30 AM CST on Thursday. Here are some quick facts about the division.

Twenty-one out of a possible 36 athletes who made the podium are registered for the open.

Five of the 10 weight category champions will be represented in the open class. Light-featherweight Diego Batista (Cicero Costha), lightweight Guthierry Barbosa (Carlson Gracie), middleweight Rafael dos Anjos (Alliance), medium-heavyweight Mebtouche Reda (Mako Team), and heavyweight Conner Deangelis (Atos) are all in the hunt for double gold.

Conner Deangelis in action. Photo: Chase Smith

Also featured in the absolute are Antonio Alencar (Alliance) and Belal Benmahammed (Cicero Costha) — both athletes finished second after closing out with teammates. Tacio Carneiro (Qatar BJJ) took second in the tightly contested medium-heavyweight final and should be considered a serious contender for the pdoium. 

Igor Tanabe (Over Limit), Andy Murasaki (Brasa CTA), Jose Mathias Luna (Checkmat), and Pete O’Neal (Atos) are among other big names present in the open class.

Interesting possible matchups include Guthierry Barbosa taking on a Caio Terra teen prodigy in Andy Murasaki in the second round. Diego Batista and Rafael dos Anjos are set to clash first round in a meeting of gold medalists, with heavyweight champ Conor Deangelis waiting for them in the next round with a bye.

You can watch all the action LIVE or on demand on FloGrappling.