Rafael Lovato Jr. (born June 25, 1983) is an American retired mixed martial artist and former Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor. At the time of his original retirement, he was the Bellator MMA Middleweight World Champion and was ranked the no. 4 middleweight fighter in the world.[2]
He was the first non-Brazilian to win Brasileiros at black belt. In 2007, he was the first person to win the black belt "Grand Slam" of all major Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions in a single year: Pan Championship, European Championship, Brasileiro, and World Championship.