Rafael Lovato Jr is one of the most successful American competitors in the history of BJJ and the world champion has decided to share what he believes took him to that level. He decided to share his invaluable input during the lead-up to this year’s IBJJF World Championship, a tournament that he’s incredibly familiar with. Between 2007 and 2014, Lovato Jr made it to the podium of every single edition of the event while competing across three different weight classes. Over the course of those 8 IBJJF world championships Lovato Jr won 6 bronze medals, a silver medal, and a gold medal.
Although he spent plenty of time competing in the gi, his biggest achievements undoubtedly came in no gi competition instead. Lovato Jr won 3 gold medals at the IBJJF no gi World Championship across 3 different weightclasses and of course, he eventually made the transition to MMA in order to test himself as well. He competed for both LFA and Bellator, putting together a perfect 10-0 professional record in the sport from 2014 to 2019 that culminated in him winning the Bellator middleweight world championship. A rare brain condition forced Lovato Jr out of the sport at that point, with him vacating the title and announcing his retirement due to those medical issues.
He made a comeback after over 3 years away from the sport, winning one more fight at the traditional new year’s eve event in Japan in 2022. Lovato Jr has returned to grappling competition in that time as well, competing against other older black belts at the IBJJF Master world championship as well as turning back the clock to finish fourth at ADCC 2022. He hasn’t just been competing in that time though, he’s also been building his dream academy and has started to build the next generation of elite competitors.
Rafael Lovato Jr shared what it takes to become a BJJ world champion in a recent post to his official Instagram account:
