Rafael Lovato Jr His Record, Net Worth, Weight, Age and More!

Who Is Rafael Lovato Jr?

Rafael Lovato Jr is a former Bellator MMA Middleweight Champion, he also held the middleweight title for the Legacy Fighting Association. Rafael is a highly accredited 4th degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Carlos Machado, where he grew up training with Xande and Saulo Ribeiro. 

Who Is Rafael Lovato Jr?

Rafael Lovato Jr is a former Bellator MMA Middleweight Champion, he also held the middleweight title for the Legacy Fighting Association. Rafael is a highly accredited 4th degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Carlos Machado, where he grew up training with Xande and Saulo Ribeiro. 

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Rafael made his professional MMA debut on Legacy FA fighting against Canaan Grigsby, where Rafael secured a submission win in the first round. Rafael went on to become the Legacy Middleweight Champion defeating Marcelo Nunes at LFA 54 landing a TKO at the end of the second round. In Rafael’s next fight he submitted Cortez Coleman with an armbar to successfully defend his title. 

Rafael joined up with Bellator MMA and went on an unbeaten run of 5 fights securing 3 submissions and a TKO. On the 22nd of June 2019 Rafael Lovoto Jr would challenge Gegard Mousasi for the Bellator Middleweight Championship. The fight went the distance and Rafael Lovato Jr would win the Middleweight Championship by a majority decision. The undefeated champion ( 10 - 0 ) would later relinquish the belt due to medical issues. 

Before Rafael was an MMA champion he was a professional Brazilian Jiu Jitsu coach and competitor. Rafael has won everything there is to win in his career including a World Championship in 2007 in the +100kg division, he also came second in 2008 and has 6 third place finishes. Rafael has won the Nogi World Championships three times in 2010, 2011 and 2013 and he placed 2nd in 2012 nearly making it 4 in a row. Rafael has also won Gold at the Pan Americans twice as well as division wins at the Euro championships, NoGi World Cup and the Brazilian Nationals. 

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How Old Is Rafael Lovato Jr? 

Rafael lovato Jr was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA on the 25th of June 1983. The 38 year old currently resides in Oklahoma City. 

About Rafael Lovato Jr’s Family!

Born and raised in Cincinnati Ohio Rafael grew up under the tutelage of his father Rafael Lovato Sr who was a Jeet Kune Do instructor and a Jiu Jitsu fighter. At the age of 8 Rafael’s family moved to Oklahoma City where Rafael Jr grew up learning all kinds of Martial Arts from his father. Rafael competed in amatuer boxing until he discovered Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at age 13.

By the age of 19 Rafael was deeply involved with the BJJ community and his passion for the sport became a huge driving factor. In 2003 Rafael competed against Saulo Ribeiro in the finals at the Arnold Classic. After the tournament Saulo would invite Rafael to come train with them. Rafael formed a long lasting friendship with Saulo and Xande Ribeiro. Rafael would end up quitting college to pursue his MMA career aspirations. 

Rafael Lovato Jr is married but many of the details of his family are private, as he does not post much family information. It has been reported that Rafael had recently taught his wife her first Judo lesson. 

Rafael now manages his own academy called Lovato Jiu Jitsu, located in Oklahoma City. Where he teaches and caters for his students, with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts.

How Much Is Rafael Lovato Jr Worth?

Rafael Lovato Jr has had an illustrious career so far, with his excellence in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu he has dominated the circuit for many years. Then his tremendous run of unbeaten MMA fights with Legacy and Bellator have proved to be very profitable. Rafael has a net worth reported at 3 million dollars.  

How Tall Is Rafael Lovato Jr?

Rafael Lovato Jr is a formidable man standing at 6 feet and 3 inches tall or 191 cm. 

How Much Does Rafael Lovato Jr Weigh?

Rafael Lovato Jr weighs in at 185 lbs which is 84 kilograms. In Rafael’s career he has fought many Jiu Jitsu competitions at 94 kg and +100kg. His rise from BJJ to MMA has seen him cut weight into a 185 lbs Middleweight division.  

Rafael Lovato Jr’s Fight List!

Rafael has beaten the best of the best in Martial Arts from MMA to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. His undefeated run in MMA has seen him win two Middleweight titles and beat the likes of;Kevin Holland, Marcello Nunes, Gerald Harris, John Salter and Gegard Mousasi.

Rafael Lovato Jr has had an incredible Jiu Jitsu Career winning over 10 titles including World Championships in Gi and NoGi divisions. He has fought some of the toughest guys on the planet including;Rolles Gracie, Roger Gracie, Bruno Paulista, Damien Maia, Andre Galvao and Jackson Sousa. 

After Rafael relinquished his Bellator Middleweight title in 2019 he jumped straight back into the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu circuit. He fought in many tournaments including the IBJJF World Masters Championship, where he finished in second place losing a close match to Gregor Gracie. Rafael has also agreed verbally to fight the reigning ADCC World Champion Gordon Ryan after Gordon respectfully called him out. 

Rafael Lovato Jr's Best Fight Of All Time!

Rafael has had an amazing fight career taking on some of the most formidable Men in the world. There are a couple of fights that stand out, the first is the 84 second demolition of the impressive Muay Thai striker Kevin Holland. A fight where Rafael landed the inevitable takedown, his opponent Holland then exposing his back before Rafael sunk in a deep Rear Naked Choke to finish the fight. This win set up a fight with Marcelo Nunes, where Rafael would eventuate the Legacy FA Middleweight Champion. 

Another moment that stood out for Rafael Lovato Jr was in 2007 when he became the first ever American to win the Brazilian National Jiu Jitsu Championship as a Black Belt. 2007 proved a very triumphant year for Rafael as he went on to win the European, Pan-American and World Masters championship.

Who Did Rafael Lovato Jr Lose To?

Rafael won all 10 of his MMA fights, putting him in the history books as an undefeated Middleweight Champion. In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Rafael has won an impressive amount of fights with notable loses to Damien Maia, Andre Galvao, Bernardo Faria, Alexandre Souza and Roger Gracie. 

What Are Rafael Lovato Jr’s Records?

Rafael Lovato Jr has an undefeated MMA record of 10 - 0. He has an incredible Brazilian Jiu Jitsu record of 107 wins with 49 loses including 56 wins by submission and only 9 submission losses. 

Rafael was the first ever American to win the Brazilian National Championships. He was also the third American in history to win a World Championship. Rafael would set more records in 2013 by becoming the first American to win the Brazilian National Championships in the open weight division. 

Has Rafael Lovato Jr Had Any Injuries?

Rafael Lovato Jr has been forced to retire from MMA after the discovery of a rare brain condition. He has a hereditary disease called Cavernoma which is an abnormal cluster of vessels that contain bubbles filled with blood. Although doctors cleared him to fight against Gegard Mousasi Rafael would end up leaving the MMA scene shortly after the fight. 

Rafael has also suffered a severe hamstring injury in the past as well as minor injuries he received over the course of his Jiu JItsu career. 

Is Rafael Lovato Jr Retired?

Although Rafael Lovato Jr has retired from MMA he has always maintained that he wants to make a return to the cage for at least one more fight, he is yet to receive a medical clearance. 

Immediately after retiring from Bellator, Rafael didn’t waste any time and started competing in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Superfight circuit. He has fought in over 20 Jiu Jitsu bouts including matches against high profile fighters and nearly taking home the Gold in the IBJJF World masters against the ever impressive Gregor Gracie. 

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