This year's European Championships has enough talent to make your head spin. Fear not! We've created the ultimate black belt viewing guide.  

Read on for the full breakdown of the brackets and start times of the divisions in Lisbon, Portugal, this weekend. 

Watch the 2018 IBJJF European Championships LIVE on FloGrappling

BLACK / Adult / Male / Rooster

The roosterweight division is benefitting from one of it’s biggest turnouts in recent years, with 10 athletes traveling from all corners of the globe to compete in Lisbon on Sunday.

Standouts in the division include returning champion Koji Shibamoto and silver medalist Rodnei Barbosa. They are situated on opposite ends of the bracket with first-round byes. 

Jose Lima, the recently promoted GF Team standout, has been on roll since the end of 2017 and will face Shibamoto in the second round if he is able to get by Gabriel Alexander in his opening match. 

We’re especially looking forward to recently promoted Alliance black belt Hiago Gama — an exceptionally decorated athlete throughout the colored ranks, Gama hit the IBJJF "Grand Slam" as a blue belt and replicated similar levels of success throughout his purple and brown belt career. Europeans is his first major IBJJF event as a black belt, and he’ll be looking to make his mark in the elite division.

 Key First-Round Matches  

• Jose Lima vs. Gabriel Alexander 
• Hiago Gama vs. Pedro Dias
• Cleito Soares vs. Jorge Nakamura

 Watch the roosterweights Sunday at 9:30 AM on Mat 5 

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light-Feather

Small in numbers but stacked with talent, the light-feather division features some of the best in the world.

Joao Miyao is the clear favorite in the division. He’s already secured one gold medal this year at the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam and is looking to continue his winning ways in Lisbon, but he certainly isn’t without competition. 

Paulo Miayo. Photo: Chase Smith

Enter Pablo Montovani, already an ADCC veteran at the young age of 21. Montavani was promoted to black belt by Andre Galvao ahead of No-Gi Worlds. He’ll face Spanish athlete Mani Tavanaei in in the opening round, the winner moving on to fight Cicero Costha standout Hiago George.  

Key First-Round Matches 

• Pablo Monovani vs. Mani Tavanaei
• Hideyuki Yamada vs. Rene Lopez

 Watch the light-featherweight division on Sunday at 10:40 AM on Mat 5 

BLACK / Adult / Male / Feather

The featherweight division features 14 athletes, including Marcio Andre (2016 Euro champ and Worlds silver medalist), Gianni Grippo (2017 Europeans silver medalist, World Pro champion), and twins Brian and Kevin Mahecha among the pack.

Disruptors such as Isaque Paiva, Isaac Doederlein, and Gabriel Marangoni make it even more unpredictable. We’re particularly intrigued by a possible final between Andre and Grippo, but this division is truly anyone’s game.

Marcio Andre. Photo: Chase Smith

Key First-Round Matches  

• Gianni Grippo vs. Sergio Calderon
• Isaac Doederlein vs. Kevin Mahecha
• Gabriel Marangoni vs. Victor Nunes

 Watch the featherweight division Sunday at 9:30 AM on Mat 2 

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light

History is on the line in the lightweight division as Michael Langhi attempts to win his sixth European title, but there is plenty of fresh blood that could spoil the party.

Norwegian Espen Mathiesen makes his black belt debut, and finishing machines John Combs, Edwin Najmi, and Renato Canuto are certain to thrill the crowd with their aggressive, submission-oriented approach. 

Veteran competitors Alex Cabanes (Atos), Masahiro Iwasaki (Carpe Diem), and Jake Mackenzie (GF Team) all possess the tools to win big on the right day.

Edwin Najmi: Photo Chase Smith

 Key First-Round Matches 

• Edwin Najmi vs. Espen Mathiesen
• Michael Langhi vs. John Combs
• Jake Mackenzie vs. Pedro Camos
• Renato Canuto vs. Krzystof Marek 

 Watch the lightweight division Sunday 9:30 AM on Mat 1

BLACK / Adult / Male / Middle

Another completely bonkers division, the middleweight black belt group is loaded with star power and plenty of wild cards to complete an exceptional bracket.

Reigning Worlds silver medalist Marcos Tinoco has a first-round bye. A potential quarterfinal with Viking berserker Tommy Langaker has already has us salivating, but that requires the Kimura rep to get by European standout Santeri Lilius in his first match.

Tommy Langaker. Photo: Chase Smith

Other star players to watch in the bracket include 2016 European champion Michael Liera Jr. (Atos), Isaque Bahiense (Alliance), and Jaime Canuto (GF Team).

Dark horses to watch for are Nathan Mendelsohn, Alec Baulding (who beat Isaque Bahiense here last year), and Unity Jiu-Jitsu's Felipe Silva.

 Key First-Round Matches  

• Nathan Mendelsohn vs. Alec Baulding
• Isaque Bahiense vs. Burak Sarman
• Tommy Langaker vs. Santeri Lilius

 Watch the black belt middleweight division Sunday 9:30 AM Mat 3

BLACK / Adult / Male / Medium-Heavy

The medium-heavy division is wide open in the absence of Leandro Lo. Longtime black belt standouts such as Charles Negromonte (Roger Gracie Academy) will be challenged by ferocious newcomers such as Patrick Gaudio (GF Team), Rudson Matheus (CTA), and Horlando Monteiro (Kimura).

  Patrick Gaudio: Photo Chase Smith

Don’t count out SBG’s Martin Aedma, who had a fantastic battle with Andre Galvao at 2015, or Matheus Sprindelli from NS Brotherhood, a quiet killer in the division.

 Key First-Round Matches  

• Charles Negromonte vs. Rudson Mateus
• Horlando Monteiro vs. Gustavo Santiago
• Martin Aedma vs. Matheus Spirandeli

 Watch the black belt medium-heavyweight division Sunday at 9:30 AM on Mat 3

BLACK / Adult / Male / Heavy

The biggest story in this division is the return of Keenan Cornelius to the Europeans after five long years away. The Atos superstar went on an absolute tear in the second half of 2017, winning 54 matches with 42 submissions (Stat credit: BJJ Heroes). 

There’s a good chance that he’ll face the rising star Adam Wardzinski (Checkmat) from Poland in the semifinal, which would be a treat to watch. 

Also featured in the heavyweight is division Jackson Sousa (Checkmat) — a man who needs little introduction and is always near the top of the podium in every event he enters. 

 Key First-Round Matches  

• Jackson Sousa vs. Charles McGuire
• Heton Mendes Jr. vs. Nicolas Penzer
• Adam Wardzinski vs. Manoel Fernandes

Watch the heavyweight division on Sunday at 11:30 am on Mat 5

BLACK / Adult / Male / Super-Heavy

As usual, the super-heavyweight division is the Erberth Santos show. The question is can anyone stop Erberth on his quest for a third European championship? The World, Pan, Brazilian National, and South American champ, he’s simply been winning everything at super-heavy. Erberth currently is in first place in the IBJJF black belt rankings, over 300 points ahead of second-place Leandro Lo.

Erberth Santos. Photo: Chase Smith

Veteran competitor Eliot Kelly sits on the other side of the bracket and most likely poses the greatest threat to Erberth. Kelly defeated legend Xande Ribeiro at the 2016 IBJJF Master Worlds.

Key First-Round Matches

• Arya Esfandmaz vs. Marek Zbrog
• Manuel Antonio vs. Rodrigo Martins

Watch the super-heavyweight division Sunday Mat 3 at 11:30 AM

BLACK / Adult / Male / Ultra-Heavy

On paper World silver and bronze medalist Ricardo Evangelista from GF Team is the favorite to win this division. However, it is hard to count out Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa after his incredible performance at No-Gi Worlds. Hulk and Evangelista could potentially meet in the semifinals.

During the dominant No-Gi Worlds run, Hulk tapped five out of six opponents on his way to double gold. Along the way he submitted Jackson Souza and Joao Assis before beating Joao Gabriel Rocha on points in the open final. Hulk is normally a medium-heavyweight, but any doubts of him being able to hang with the big guys are gone after he outmuscled the massive Joao Gabriel.

Lucas "Hulk" Barbosa. Photo: Chase Smith

Reigning world bronze medalist Otavio Nalati is located on the opposite side of the bracket. The winner between massive young black belts Victor Honorio and Admilson Gobi will possibly meet Nalati in the semi.

Key First-Round Matches

• Victor Honorio vs. Admilson Gobi
• Lucas Barbosa vs. Rapahel Gustavo
• Ricardo Evangeslita vs. Ruben Araujo
• Otavio Nalati vs. Antonio Padua