Rafael Lovato Jr. shares the secrets of his sustained success
Legendary BJJ competitor Rafael Lovato Jr. spoke to Grappling Insider about his incredible career longevity.
Rafael Lovato Jr. is one of the most decorated black belts in BJJ history, boasting a competitive career that spans decades. The 42-year-old recently made history when he claimed gold at the 2025 No-Gi Brasileiros to become the first-ever to win every IBJJF major at the adult black belt level across both gi and no-gi competition.
Lovato won his first IBJJF world title back in 2007, and since then, he has consistently found himself competing (and winning) at the elite level, even finding time to amass an unbeaten professional MMA record and win the Bellator MMA middleweight title. Clearly, he understands what it takes to create sustained success far beyond the typical athlete.
In an exclusive interview with Grappling Insider, Lovato detailed his keys to longevity, his evolution as a grappler, and the next big challenges he’s ready to face. Watch the entire interview below.
Perhaps the most common issue that older grapplers face is the physical decline that comes along with age and the struggle to recover from hard training sessions. Lovato admits that this remains a big challenge for him in his 40s, but with daily discipline and healthy routines, he’s been able to stay at the top of the game:
“You gotta get in your routine, and you gotta stay in it. There’s less room for getting off track as you get older. When you’re younger, you can get away with staying up all night, doing silly stuff, and wake up the next day and train, and you’ll be fine. You can slack off on your diet, your rest. You can go out, do whatever, and still basically train the next day the same.
“As you get older, the amount of discipline you need is even higher. Much, much higher. You have to carve out so much more time for recovery. You really can’t miss a day. You can’t miss a beat. Everything has to be done. It has to be done right…
“Physically, there’s definitely a lot more challenges. You don’t recover at all. I mean, I recover a little bit, but the constant state of soreness and hurt is just way more present. And that’s why, like I said, I have to be moving every day. I have to get into the gym. A lot of things have to be done before I can even think about training and working hard for an event…”
A longtime training partner of Xande Ribeiro, Lovato was also quick to credit the team he’s built around him for his sustained success:
“I found the right people at some point in my journey, and I’ve kept them around. Having the right people around is so important…
“A lot of the people that have been instrumental in my success have been with me now for 12, 15, 20 years, and they’re still there. That’s another blessing about going this long, is you find the right people, and then the relationships just continue to grow and get stronger…”
According to Lovato, the single most important factor to his career longevity has been his mindset. As a lifelong competitor, he’s kept himself in constant search for a new challenge, for a new way to make history.
With his “what’s next” mindset, Lovato is just as motivated now as he was when he was a rookie black belt looking to make a name for himself on the global stage:
“Beyond the physical and technical challenges as you get older, it really comes down to the mindset, to the mentality. I think what happens to most guys is, yes, the physical challenges are there, but they don’t keep the fire. The purpose has shifted or maybe gone away. They’re not as motivated. Mentally, they’re not what they were when they were young and hungry. I think that’s what I’m best at. I’m constantly motivating myself. I’m finding these new missions, these new challenges, these new stories that I have the opportunity to write with my actions.”
Finally, in terms of technique, Lovato emphasized the importance of evolving as a grappler. While he might be known for his “timeless jiu-jitsu” and trademark old-school techniques, that certainly doesn’t mean he’s not up-to-date on BJJ’s most recent developments.
If he’s constantly improving, he said, he’s making those around him better, who in turn will make him an even better grappler:
“You have to continue learning. You have to continue evolving. What you did before isn’t gonna work today. You can be the best in the world at everything today. But tomorrow, someone’s gonna pass you up in something…
“As long as you continue competing, you’re gonna be forced to continue evolving your game. It just makes you better. And if I continue getting better, then I have more to give back. And the more I can give back, the more I can make everyone else around me better, the more they’re gonna make me better. And that’s the cycle. It’s just never-ending, and that’s what I try to do every day.”
