Rafael Lovato Jr. could be one of the most successful Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners to ever transition into MMA. Just five years since making his professional debut, the multiple-time BJJ world champion has already managed to bag the middleweight title in Bellator.
Lovato’s further rise to MMA superstardom, unfortunately, is likely to take a pause. As the 36-year-old fighter revealed on his recent appearance JRE MMA Show, he’d been diagnosed with Cavernoma, a rare brain disease. About one out of 200 people are affected in the United States,
Cavernoma happens when a cluster of abnormal blood cells form in the brain and spinal cord.