Rafael Lovato Jr and Giancarlo Bodoni will still be facing each other in a blockbuster matchup, with the pair being moved to ONE 173 on November 16th, 2025. It’s great matchmaking by the brains behind ONE Championship, as it’s a battle between two different generations of elite American Jiu-Jitsu competitors. Although Bodoni is one of the best grapplers in the world over the last few years, Lovato Jr was busy doing the same thing back when he was just a child. Although Bodoni will obviously have youth on his side, Lovato Jr proved at ADCC 2024 that he’s more than capable of beating the best in the world even in his 40s.
Lovato Jr finished with a silver medal in the under 99kg division at that tournament, whereas Bodoni actually won gold at under 88kg. That marked the second time he’d won that weight class after his incredible debut performance at ADCC 2022. That was Bodoni’s breakthrough moment where he announced his arrival at the highest level of competition, while Lovato Jr had his breakthrough moment all the way back in 2007. That was the year he made history several times over by becoming the first American to win multiple different IBJJF majors, and becoming the first person to win an IBJJF grand slam.
Lovato Jr actually added to that legacy just this year, when he became the first person to win every gi and no gi IBJJF major during his career. It was a remarkable achievement and it’s probably set a whole new standard in the sport, where we’ll start to see competitors aiming for the same goal more often. This superfight against Bodoni is another chance to add to his legacy and although it was originally announced for August, it’s great to see that it’s still going ahead regardless. The new date has only been officially confirmed by ONE Championship just now, but Lovato Jr actually revealed the news himself during an interview with Jits Magazine just a few days ago.
