The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) recently made an announcement that they will be posthumously inducting Leandro Lo, the 8-time black belt world champion, into their Hall of Fame at the World Championships this year. This news comes less than ten months after the legendary black belt was killed, making this a bittersweet moment for the community.
Leandro Lo, one of Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s greatest competitors, would have turned 34 on the day of the announcement. His accolades are many, having won every major gi tournament in the world multiple times. He won eight world championships, eight Pan American championships, three Brazilian national championships, and two European championships. His matches were an inspiration to thousands of people around the world.
Record-Holder in IBJJF Titles
Leandro Lo holds a unique record in the IBJJF history books. He has won more world titles in different weight classes than any other athlete. His eight world championships span five separate weight classes, a testament to his versatility and dominance in the sport.
Posthumous Induction
Leandro Lo, the 2022 IBJJF World Champion at medium-heavyweight, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame posthumously at this year’s event. This induction will cement Leandro Lo’s legacy as one of the titans of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, joining the ranks of other legends who have been inducted before him.
Honoring a Legend
To honor Leandro Lo, Atos released a clip of a conversation between Lo and Andre Galvao in which Lo revealed his incredibly dedicated training regimen.
When asked when BJJ ‘clicked’ for him Lo responded: “It was in my black belt. I used to have 18 rounds a day. ”
Leandro would put in 6 rolling sessions per every training session (3 total), plus one hour of positional sparring.
The rounds were 8 minutes with 2 minutes of rest between rounds. In addition to this, Lo also claimed he would drill for 2 hours a day.
This was his training regimen from 2009 until 2013. This was the price Lo paid to master something – putting in 10,000 hours into his training.
“I used to train on Saturdays as well. I would also practice a little when I was teaching at the Academy. I always trained a lot. I always liked it. So I got used to it.”
