Rafael Lovato Jr is one of the greatest American Jiu-Jitsu competitors of all time and he’s been finding success at the highest level even in his 40s, but he won’t be returning at ADCC 2026. He’s been a black belt since 2004 and has been competing consistently since then, even making history by becoming the first person to win an IBJJF grand slam in 2007. He made his ADCC debut in the very same year and competed in five editions of the tournament in a row. The only reason he ever stopped is because he took a break from Jiu-Jitsu in order to focus on his professional MMA career.
When that came to an end, Lovato Jr decided to make a Jiu-Jitsu comeback and he even returned to compete at ADCC 2022. He finished fourth in a very tough division and considering that he was almost 40 at the time, many fans imagined that was going to be his final run. Lovato Jr came back for one more attempt at glory at ADCC 2024 and at the age of 41, he equalled his best ever performance by leaving with a silver medal. Now it seems like he isn’t going to return for an 8th appearance at ADCC, as he was very confident in his response when asked:
”No more ADCCs man… It’s just my body, like I was really broken down going into the last one and, you know, competing against the kids over two days… overtimes… I’m waking up on day two, I’m broken already, you know what I mean? Like, I don’t want to compete on Sunday. I don’t want to wake up on a Sunday all beat up and have to go again, you know? That kind of stuff is definitely coming to an end.”
Although Rafael Lovato Jr isn’t coming back for ADCC 2026, fans will still get to see him compete elsewhere:
“But professional opportunities? I’m still here for it. I’ll still go against anybody (for) one match, no problem. I do have a match lined up with Giancarlo (Bodoni) for ONE Championship, it was supposed to be in August but they had to postpone it and now it’s going to be November 16th… It’ll be a part of their biggest show of the year which is going to take place in Tokyo and I’m really looking forward to that challenge. That’s still going to happen. So, you know, anybody; one match, big stage. I would love to, you know, still be a part of these special shows and be a part of the growth of Jiu-Jitsu. I’m definitely still into that but the adult division? I’m not competing against anybody in their 20s for free any more, that’s 100%.”
The full interview with Rafael Lovato Jr where he reveals that he won’t be competing at ADCC 2026 now available to watch on the official JitsMagazine YouTube channel, click here to subscribe for more or check out the interview below:
