Rafael Lovato Jr.

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Rafael Lovato Jr.
Born (1983-06-25) June 25, 1983 (age 38)
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
ResidenceOklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
NationalityAmerican
Height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
DivisionMiddleweight
Light Heavyweight
Reach77+1⁄2 in (197 cm)
StyleBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Jeet Kun Do, Boxing
TeamLovato Jiu-Jitsu Association
Rank4th degree Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Saulo Ribeiro[1]
Years active2014–2020
Mixed martial arts record
Total10
Wins10
By knockout2
By submission6
By decision2
Losses0
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Rafael Lovato Jr.
Medal record
Representing  United States
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/Grappling
World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Gold medal – first place 2007 California, USA +100 kg
Silver medal – second place 2008 California, USA -100 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2009 California, USA -94 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2010 California, USA -94 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2011 California, USA -94 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2012 California, USA -94 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2013 California, USA -100 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2014 California, USA -94 kg
World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Gold medal – first place 2010 California, USA -91.5 kg
Gold medal – first place 2011 California, USA -85.5 kg
Silver medal – second place 2012 California, USA -91.5 kg
Gold medal – first place 2013 California, USA +97.5 kg
Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Gold medal – first place 2007 California, USA -100 kg
Gold medal – first place 2008 California, USA -94 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2009 California, USA -94 kg
Silver medal – second place 2010 California, USA -94 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2012 California, USA -94 kg
European Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Gold medal – first place 2007 Lisbon, Portugal -100 kg
Nogi World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2011 Abu Dhabi, UAE -92kg
Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Gold medal – first place 2007 São Paulo, Brazil -100 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2010 São Paulo, Brazil -100 kg
Silver medal – second place 2010 São Paulo, Brazil Absolute
Bronze medal – third place 2013 São Paulo, Brazil -100 kg
Gold medal – first place 2013 São Paulo, Brazil Absolute

Rafael Lovato Jr. (born June 25, 1983) is a retired American mixed martial artist and BJJ competitor and instructor who last competed in the Middleweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Middleweight World Champion. At the time of his retirement, Lovato Jr. was ranked the #4 Middleweight fighter in the world by Fight Matrix.[2]

Early life[]

Lovato was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but his family moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma when he was eight years old. The son of a Jeet Kune Do instructor, Lovato studied a variety of martial arts in his youth and competed in amateur boxing before discovering Brazilian jiu-jitsu at age 13.[3]

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu career[]

Lovato was the second American, after B.J. Penn, to win the World Jiu Jitsu Championship as a black belt.[4]

Lovato is a black belt under Carlos Machado, the oldest of the Machado family.[5] Rafael has had a long and formative training history with Xande and Saulo Ribeiro, one which began after he competed against Saulo in the finals of the 2003 Arnold Classic, when Rafael was just 19 years old.[6]

Since retiring from MMA due to medical issues, Lovato Jr. has made a return to competing in BJJ, with several appearances on the superfight circuit throughout 2020.[7] He also competed at the IBJJF Masters World Championships 2020, claiming silver in the absolute division after a close final match with Gregor Gracie.[8] Lovato Jr. has also verbally agreed to compete against the reigning ADCC World Champion Gordon Ryan at some point in 2021.[9]

Lovato currently manages his own academy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.[10]

Mixed martial arts career[]

Legacy Fighting Alliance[]

Lovato made his professional MMA debut on September 26, 2014 at LFA 35, against Canaan Grigsby.[11] He won the fight by an arm-triangle choke at the end of the first round.[12] His next fight came at LFA 46, against the future UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland. Lovato Jr. won the fight by a rear naked choke, 84 seconds into the first round.[13]

After these two victories, Lovato Jr. was scheduled to fight Marcelo Nunes at LFA 54, for the Middleweight title.[14] Lovato Jr. won the fight by TKO near the end of the second round.[15] He was scheduled to make his first title defense against Cortez Coleman at LFA 62.[16] He submitted Coleman with an armbar in the last minute of the third round.[17]

Bellator MMA[]

In March 2017, Lovato made his debut for Bellator MMA. He faced Charles Hackmann at Bellator 174 and won the fight via TKO just 13 seconds into the first round.[18]

In his second Bellator bout, Lovato faced Mike Rhodes at Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017.[19] Rafael Lovato Jr. won the fight via submission in the first round.[20]

Lovato faced Chris Honeycutt at Bellator 189 on December 1, 2017 [21] and Rafael Lovato Jr. won the fight by unanimous decision.[22]

Lovato was expected to face John Salter at Bellator 198 on April 28, 2018. John Salter was later pulled from the event by the Illinois Athletic Commission due to an eye issue on April 24 and replaced by Gerald Harris.[23] Rafael Lovato Jr. won the fight via armbar submission in the first round.[24]

Lovato faced John Salter on September 21, 2018 at Bellator 205.[25] Rafael Lovato Jr. won the fight via a submission.[26]

Bellator MMA Middleweight World Champion[]

Lovato was scheduled to face Gegard Mousasi for the Bellator Middleweight World Championship. This bout was expected to serve as the co-headliner of Bellator 214.[27] On December 20, 2018, it was reported that Mousasi pulled from the fight, citing a back injury and Lovato was pulled from the card.[28] The bout against Mousasi was rescheduled to June 22, 2019 in London, England at Bellator 223.[29] Lovato defeated Mousasi by majority decision.[30]

On January 29, 2020, while appearing on the Joe Rogan Experience, Lovato revealed that he was dealing with a brain condition called cerebral cavernoma. He stated that the condition was nearly a reason for him to be pulled from his title bout with Gegard Mousasi, but he was ultimately given clearance. However, after further review on the potential risks of the condition weeks following the bout against Mousasi, commissions in Europe have stated they will not give Lovato clearance to fight in Europe any longer. Per the advice of his doctors, Lovato then said for the time being his MMA career is on hold, though he did not announce retirement and is hopeful he will fight again in the future.[31] On February 10, 2020, it was announced that Lovato had relinquished the Bellator Middleweight title.[32]

Lovato Jr has gone on record to state his desire to return to professional MMA for at least one more fight, and ideally in 2021. Although as yet, he's been unable to get medically cleared to fight.[33]

Championships and accomplishments[]

Mixed martial arts[]

  • Bellator MMA
    • Bellator Middleweight World Championship (One time)
  • Legacy Fighting Championship
    • Legacy FC Middleweight Championship (One time)
      • One successful title defense

Mixed martial arts record[]

Professional record breakdown
10 matches 10 wins 0 losses
By knockout 2 0
By submission 6 0
By decision 2 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 10–0 Gegard Mousasi Decision (majority) Bellator 223 June 22, 2019 5 5:00 London, England Won the Bellator Middleweight World Championship. Later relinquished the championship due to cerebral cavernoma.
Win 9–0 John Salter Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 205 September 21, 2018 3 4:27 Boise, Idaho, United States
Win 8–0 Gerald Harris Submission (armbar) Bellator 198 April 28, 2018 1 1:11 Rosemont, Illinois, United States Catchweight bout (188 lbs).
Win 7–0 Chris Honeycutt Decision (unanimous) Bellator 189 December 1, 2017 3 5:00 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
Win 6–0 Mike Rhodes Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 181 July 14, 2017 1 1:59 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
Win 5–0 Charles Hackmann TKO (knees and punches) Bellator 174 March 3, 2017 1 0:13 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Catchweight bout (195 lbs).
Win 4–0 Cortez Coleman Submission (armbar) Legacy Fighting Championship 62 November 11, 2016 3 4:04 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States Defended the Legacy FC Middleweight Championship.
Win 3–0 Marcelo Nunes TKO (punches) Legacy Fighting Championship 54 April 22, 2016 2 4:51 Catoosa, Oklahoma, United States Won the Legacy FC Middleweight Championship.
Win 2–0 Kevin Holland Submission (rear naked choke) Legacy Fighting Championship 46 October 2, 2015 1 1:24 Allen, Texas, United States
Win 1–0 Canaan Grigsby Submission (arm-triangle choke) Legacy Fighting Championship 35 September 26, 2014 1 4:07 Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States

[34]

See also[]

External links[]

Professional MMA record for Rafael Lovato Jr. from Sherdog

References[]

  1. ^ "Certified Black Belts". ibjjf.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Middleweight World Rankings". fightmatrix.com. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  3. ^ Connel, Reid. "10 Things You Didn't Know About Rafael Lovato Jr". flograppling.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  4. ^ Thapa, Ben (October 26, 2011). "Grappler Interviews: Rafael Lovato Jr". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
  5. ^ "Rafael Lovato Jr". BJJ Heroes BJJ Fighter Database. March 26, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  6. ^ "Rafael Lovato Jr (Gracie Humaita)". BJJ Heroes. August 1, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
  7. ^ "BJJ Stars 4 Full Results And Review". jitsmagazine.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  8. ^ Rollo, Ian. "Gregor Gracie Defeats Rafael Lovato Jr To Become Absolute Champion At Masters World Championships". jitsmagazine.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  9. ^ Rogers, Kian. "Gordon Ryan And Rafael Lovato Jr Agree To Fight". jitsmagazine.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Rafael Lovato Jr. - Gi & No-Gi Black Belt World Champion". Retrieved February 12, 2013.
  11. ^ "Rafael Lovato Jr To Debut In MMA On September 6th @Legacy FC 35". bjjee.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  12. ^ Faler, Matt. "Legacy FC 35 Results: Leite Stops Dennis, Claims Belt". combatpress.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  13. ^ Tsui, Jerry. "Full Match: Rafael Lovato Jr. vs Kevin Holland from Legacy FC 46". jiujitsutimes.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  14. ^ MMA Junkie Staff. "Middleweight belt on line for Marcelo Nunes vs. Rafael Lovato Jr. at Legacy FC 54". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  15. ^ Sloan, Mike. "Rafael Lovato Jr. TKOs Marcelo Nunes to Claim Vacant Legacy Middleweight Title". sherdog.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  16. ^ Zahar, Chris. "Rafael Lovato Jr. Vs Cortez Coleman Slated For Legacy FC 62". jiujitsutimes.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  17. ^ Sloan, Mike. "Rafael Lovato Jr. Submits Cortez Coleman to Retain Legacy Fighting Championship Title". sherdog.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  18. ^ McCracken, David. "Bellator 174 Results: Winners, Scorecards from Coenen vs. Budd Card". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  19. ^ MMA Junkie Staff. "Rafael Lovato Jr. meets Mike Rhodes at Bellator 181 in second promotional fight". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  20. ^ John Morgan (July 14, 2017). "Bellator 181 results: Derek Campos scores trilogy win over Brandon Girtz in blood-soaked instant classic". mmajunkie.com.
  21. ^ Staff (October 6, 2017). "Featherweight champ Julia Budd headlines Bellator 189 in rematch with Arlene Blencowe". mmajunkie.com.
  22. ^ Palmer, Mark. "Honeycutt loses unanimous decision to Lovato Jr. at Bellator 189". intermatwrestle.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  23. ^ Steve Juon (April 25, 2018). "Bellator 198 fight card shakeup: Gerald Harris vs Rafael Lovato Jr. booked with John Salter scratched". mmamania.com.
  24. ^ "Bellator 198 results: Rafael Lovato Jr. makes easy work of Gerald Harris". MMAjunkie. 2018-04-29. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
  25. ^ "John Salter ready for both he and Rafael Lovato Jr. to be 'carried out of the cage' at Bellator 205". MMAjunkie. 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  26. ^ "Bellator 205 results: Rafael Lovato Jr. stays perfect, taps out gritty John Salter". MMAjunkie. 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  27. ^ "Gegard Mousasi vs Rafael Lovato Jr. booked for Bellator 214". MMAFighting.com. November 19, 2018.
  28. ^ "Gegard Mousasi injured, out of Bellator 214 title fight with Rafael Lovato Jr". www.mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  29. ^ "Mousasi vs. Lovato Jr. title fight set for Bellator London in June; Daley, Gallagher to compete". mmajunkie.com. March 29, 2019.
  30. ^ "Bellator London live and official results". mmajunkie.com. June 22, 2019.
  31. ^ "Bellator champ Rafael Lovato Jr. reveals he's 'indefinitely on the sidelines' with brain condition". MMAJunkie.com. January 29, 2020.
  32. ^ "Rafael Lovato Jr. relinquishes Bellator middleweight title due to ongoing medical condition". MMAFighting.com. February 10, 2020.
  33. ^ Rogers, Kian. "Rafael Lovato Jr Wants To Return To MMA Despite Brain Condition". jitsmagazine.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  34. ^ Sherdog.com. "Rafael Lovato Jr. MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
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