The IBJJF have just announced that Leandro Lo will be posthumously inducted into the IBJJF Hall of Fame in a ceremony that will be held at the 2023 edition of the IBJJF World Championship. This is one of the highest honours in all of BJJ competition, and it is the highest honour that the IBJJF bestows upon competitors. Lo won eight world championships in the gi during his career and only a handful of athletes have ever managed to win more than that. Moreover, he achieved something truly unique when he became the first person to win a gold medal in five different weightclasses.
Leandro Lo was one of the most accomplished competitors in the sport and his inclusion in the IBJJF Hall of Fame was pretty much guaranteed before he even hit the age of 30. Sadly though, Lo was shot and killed on the night of August 7th, 2022 after an altercation in a nightclub in Brazil. He was just 33 years old at the time that this happened and was still very much in the prime of his career. Lo had even won his most recent gold medal at the IBJJF World Championship just a matter of months before he was shot. The trial of the man who is accused of murdering Lo, Henrique Otavio Oliveira Velozo, is actually still ongoing at the time of writing.
Leandro Lo was not only an incredibly successful competitor in the sport, but he is also fondly remembered by both fans and his fellow competitors on a personal level too. In a sport that often features bitter rivalries and harsh words between athletes, Lo stands out as one of those who were unanimously well-liked. It’s fitting then that he receives the highest honour that the IBJJF offers, even if it is sadly only awarded posthumously.
The IBJJF announced the news that Leandro Lo was going to be inducted into their Hall of Fame in a recent post to their official Instagram account:
