In a world where the talk revolves around Gordon Ryan's ashi-garami, AJ Agazarm's latest escapades and whatever new animal-named tricks Keenan Cornelius has unveiled upon unsuspecting opponents, certain news can got lost in the mix. 

Case in point: did anybody realize one of the greatest grapplers in MMA has a high-profile superfight coming up on November 3 in South Korea? 

Watch Spyder BJJ Invitational Championship LIVE Nov. 2, 9:30 PM EST LIVE On FloGrappling

Fabricio Werdum– a two-time ADCC champion and once upon a time holder of the UFC heavyweight title belt– will return to the mats for the first time since 2011. 

The 6'4", 41-year-old Brazilian will head to Seoul, South Korea for a showdown with four-time World No-Gi champion Lucas "Hulk" Barbosa. 

This no-gi superfight is intriguing on so many levels. Not only is it way past due for Werdum to make his return to the competitive world of grappling, but this is one of those weird match-ups where so many possible factors are in action at the same time. 

How will Werdum's age and experience stack up against Barbosa's youth and competitiveness? 

As a representative of the modern competition era of jiu-jitsu, will Hulk have an edge over Werdum's old school pedigree? 

Can Werdum find training of a quality that even comes close to what Hulk has access to at the Atos HQ in San Diego? 

Let's look at it and break it down. 

Werdum Werdum submits Walt Harris with an armbar in the first round during UFC 216.

Battle of the Generations

Hulk is a member of the young guard, a 26-year-old super athlete who is competing at the highest levels the grappling world has to offer. A black belt since mid-2015, he's amassed an impressive list of titles in a short period of time: four No-Gi World titles, and a gold medal in the gi at the 2018 IBJJF World Championships. As one of the most prominent members of Andre Galvao's killer Atos squad, Hulk is a heavy hitter in more ways than one. 

His physical style is matched by a dynamic and sometimes acrobatic top game that sees him vaulting over opponent's guards and then crushing them from top position. This youthful energy is reminiscent of a young Andre Galvao, except "Hulk" lives up to his nickname with crushing strength. 

With Werdum's age comes a wealth of experience. With such a long time spent in the world of MMA you have to imagine his jiu-jitsu is firmly rooted in solid fundamentals. His coaches and training partners have said his body type alone makes him a unique challenge. Add world-class jiu-jitsu to this and you've got your hands full. 

Of Werdum's 23 wins inside the ring, 11 were by submission. He favors the armbar in both MMA and grappling, and the last time anybody managed to submit him in a grappling tournament was wayyyy back in 2005 when none other than GOAT Roger Gracie caught him in a choke. 

Barbosa's record is like a who's who of jiu-jitsu. BJJ Heroes has him with a record of 121 wins (gi and no-gi), and 40% of those vis submission. A remarkable fact is that Barbosa has lost only once in 2018 in 25 matches, a 6-3 loss to Fellipe Andrew in the gi in the absolute division of Pans. 

Hulk's preferred method of finishing matches is to get the back and choke from there but he's also got a mean north-south choke, his second most prevalent submission. 

Lucas Hulk locks on a kimura at the 2017 No-Gi World Championships

Wrestling Key to Victory? 

The UFC fighter brought in two-time ADCC champion Yuri Simoes as a training partner for the camp, working in locations such as Cobrinha's for jiu-jitsu and at Lyoto Machida's gym for the wrestling sessions. 

Jacob Harman is a wrestling coach who has been training with Werdum ahead of this match, running the sessions that saw Werdum use Simoes and Machida for his prep. With years of experience working with top grapplers, including many ADCC champions such as Buchecha, Orlando Sanchez, Romulo Barral and many more, Harman has been game planning with Werdum for the challenge Barbosa presents. 

"We've been working on some footwork and hand fighting stuff that hopefully will lead to Barbosa making some decisions," says Harman. 

"We know Lucas wants to get on the inside, but we've not sure he's ever faced anybody like Fabricio. His hips are very high on his body, his legs just go on and on. He's tall, like basketball player tall, and it's hard to replicate something like that in the gym." 

Barbosa's background is very much based in jiu-jitsu but he's an explosive grappler on the feet and able to mix it up with leg attacks and go-behinds. There are plenty of training partners at Atos who can push him in the stand-up even if there are few traditional wrestlers in the room. They're never struggled on the feet, and Barbosa has faced big men in the past: he beat ultra-heavyweight Joao Gabriel Rocha via takedown in the absolute finals of the No-Gi World Championships. 

A Note on Rules

This no-gi superfine matches will be 10 minutes long, and will follow IBJJF black belt no-gi rules with the exception that heel hooks will be permitted. 

More Reasons to Watch

Aside from the match between Werdum and Barbosa, the 2018 Spyder Invitational BJJ Championship will feature a special no-gi superfight between 2018 IBJJF World Champion Jamil Hill and Korean black belt Junyong Cho. 

The final event of the season, the 2018 Spyder Invitational BJJ Championship Finals sees the culmination of the lightweight and heavyweight divisions. Both the semifinals and the finals will occur on the same night. 

-76kg semifinals

Inseong Jang vs Paulo Miyao 

Masahiro Iwasaki vs Johnatha Alves 

+76kg semifinals

Vinicius Ferreira vs Kaynan Duarte 

Victor Hugo vs DJ Jackson 

Watch the Spyder Invitational BJJ Championship Finals

Nov 3 | South Korea | Click for brackets