Gabriel Almada 
At the top of his 40s, Rafael Lovato goes into action this Thursday in search of the WNO title. Lovato will face Brazilian Pedro Marinho in the main event of WNO 21, in Texas, and aims to add another significant achievement to his career. Lovato is one of the most successful fighters of his generation, but he’s still looking for more to add to his legacy in the sport.
Rafael Lovato and Pedro Marinho promise a duel of styles on WNO and the expectation is for an exciting clash between the stars. Lovato is a guard by nature, but he’s also dangerous up top. On the other hand, Pedro has lethal guillotine kicks and high-level wrestling.
In his most recent WNO appearance, Lovato finished Ricardo Evangelista with a triangle in October. Lovato imposed his refined style and dominated the fight until he got the finish.
Lovato relies on versatility
Rafael Lovato spoke to VF Comunica on the eve of facing Pedro Marinho and analyzed the technical fit of the fight.
“Pedro is a great athlete, very explosive, he scrambles well and, of course, he is dangerous with the guillotine. Also, he has improved his leglocks a lot and he is dangerous there. I see most of his submissions coming in scrambles, I think there is where he is most dangerous. He is very physical, wrestles well, plays on top. He is shorter but he uses it as an advantage. His last WNO fights, when he won the 205lb belt and defended the title, were against Craig Jones and Giancarlo. They are two of the most dangerous guys out there and he was able to annul their games. So, he is very good at neutralizing his opponents and finding advantages and making his style fight”, explained the black belt.
Lovato relies on versatility
The American mentioned the areas he believes he has superiority over his opponent and said he intends to use his versatility to his advantage.
“So, overall, I think I am much more complete. I can play from my back, on top, I can wrestle and I have many different ways I can finish my opponent whether I’m on top or playing from my guard or on their back. So I feel I’m more complete, dangerous and technician, but the hardest part is going into my positions because he is very good at neutralizing his opponents. So, I think the same way he is very good using his size, I wanna use my size, my length. Also, I am bigger than him , I believe I’II be stronger than him and use all of these things together for 15 minutes. As the match goes longer, I see myself getting stronger and finding my opportunity to get the finish”, said Lovato.
Lovato aims for WNO belt
Lovato has an enviable CV and has won the main BJJ championships. The American became world champion with and without a gi and was also Brazilian black belt weight and absolute champion. Thus, even in the face of so many achievements, Lovato stressed that the WNO belt would have a special flavor.
“It would mean a lot. It would mean a very big deal at this stage of my career, you know, 40 years old, competing against the best in the world and the new generation. I’ve been doing it time and time again, this is the sixth or seventh new generation guy that I’m going against. Over time, you just appreciate everything much more. So, I’m just very grateful to still be doing what I love at this level with the people I love around me, I like the process. Now, being at the end, it’s so much more special. I’m a father now, I have a lot of inspiration around me and this wasn’t planned, but for the opportunity to come and to be where I am today and to be able to achieve this would be very special. Because when I came back to Jiu-Jitsu from MMA, I had ups and downs in the beginning. This year I’m having one of the best years of my career at 40 years old. So, finishing with a championship belt and becoming the number one in the world in my weight class would be amazing and I would be very proud and happy for my family and my team and everyone around me”, confirmed Rafael.
Inspiration to continue at the top level
The grappling and Jiu-Jitsu star cited his greatest motivations for continuing at the highest level of the sport.
“My biggest motivation to compete at the highest level is just love because I love what I do, I love the process, the challenge. Also, I love feeling myself getting better. I love it all. I love Jiu-Jitsu and I love competing, being on a mission and working hard to achieve the goal. Also, I like pushing my limits and seeing how much better I can be. I just wanna keep going, learning. I’m a leader, I have so many people around me. They motivate me and I find motivation everywhere. So, I feel more inspired now. When you’re 40 years old, you are more aware of who you are. I’ve been through so much and I feel that I’m in a very special place now in my life, where everything is very pure and this love in this fire is stronger than ever”, reflected Lovato.
Meeting Roger
In recent weeks, he welcomed Roger Gracie to his gym. Lovato said that Roger’s presence was important during his preparation for the WNO and praised Roger
“Having Roger Gracie come to my academy two weeks ago was incredible. It was something that I’ve been working for a long time, like a dream come true. We’ve trained together since we’re kids. Of course, Xande is my number one, I was in his camps, I helped prepare Xande to compete against Roger. I still look up and study Roger. So, learning from him and having my students learn from him and feeling his energy meant so much to me. I love to learn and find new techniques. He definitely did an amazing job. I’m just very grateful, it was a beautiful way to bring a lot of people together. It was great timing and great vibes. So it was a special occasion and we will definitely do that again”, concluded Lovato.
