A man in blue and black uniform holding his fist up.

Lyndhurst Jiu-Jitsu leader wins European Championship

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Lyndhurst Jiu-Jitsu leader wins European Championship

Congrats to Rafael Lovato Jr, the Lyndhurst Jiu-Jitsu leader won the European Championship last weekend. The 38 yr old Lovato won his first European title ever! He did so in the ultra-heavyweight division, absolutely dominating his opponent, Guilherme Bacha. Bacha had won the World BJJ Championship and Pan Am the previous year. The ex-Bellator MMA Champion was forced to retire from a head injury and decided to go back to competing in BJJ only.

Back to his roots

Since the announcement, Lovato has gone back to his roots, competing in multiple jiu-jitsu tournaments and super fights. The champ has done very well in his return, only dropping matches to the top competitors in his division. Lovato turns 39 in June, and despite being qualified to compete at the Master 2 age division, Lovato decided to test himself against younger foes in the Adult division. He fought three matches to get to the finals, submitting his first two opponents with arm bars and his third with a choke from the crucifix. In the final, Lovato faced Bacha of team Checkmat, aworld championjust last year. Lovato swept Guilherme early, taking a 2-0 lead. Guilherme tied it up with a sweep of his own to even the score. Lovato then earned a second sweep, this time from the x-guard position. Once on top, Lovato utilized the pressure passing skills to win by a final score of 7-2.

Back on top

With the win, Lovato secured his first major black belt adult title since the Brazilian Nationals in 2013.