Rafael Lovato Jr. is set to face Giancarlo Bodoni at ONE 173 in Tokyo, Japan on November 15th, and the legendary grappler couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the matchup. In a recent interview with Cageside Press, Lovato Jr. opened up about what makes this particular bout so compelling and how he’s preparing for one of the sport’s elite competitors.
“I’m super excited,”
Lovato Jr. stated when asked about the upcoming match.
Lovato Jr was famously side lined from MMA by a cavernoma diagnosis just as he became the champion of Bellator. Lovato Jr admitted he doesn’t keep up with his medical condition now that his MMA dreams are definitively sidelined:
“Well, I don’t have any symptoms yet. I should still be getting scans done once a year just to make sure nothing has changed. But, you know, I went through a long hearing process with the California State Athletic Commission to try to get approved, and I spent a bunch of money and I went to see a lot of doctors, did multiple scans, and there was actually, towards the end of that time, my scans showed that the areas they were concerned about were getting smaller—or had zero change. So they all felt good about it.”
“So it is what it is. I’ve kind of shoved it in the past and I haven’t really kept up with it. But it doesn’t affect me today. I’m 100% healthy as far as I’m concerned. It’s there, but until I have some sort of symptoms, they said that there’s really nothing you can do. They’re not going to do a surgery if I don’t have symptoms, if I don’t have a real problem. So, I’m good to go, man.”
Brain scans Lovato Jr previously shared on his social mediaBrain scans Lovato Jr previously shared on his social media
Lovato Jr is still active on the BJJ scene. He’s eager to face Bodoni:
“He’s one of the best out there these days. Two-time ADCC champ. He won 88kg last year. I took silver in 99kg. So it has all the makings to just be a fire match.”
The 42-year-old black belt recognizes the technical challenge Bodoni presents:
“Technically we’re very similar in the sense that we can both play bottom, we can both play top, we can both wrestle,”
he explained.
“He’s very complete. He also has shown really great defense as well, along with his offense. He’s a killer and he doesn’t give up. He’s been beating all the best guys.”
Despite the formidable opponent, Lovato Jr. has been putting together an impressive training camp:
“I’ve been very, very motivated and excited throughout this camp for this challenge. The preparation has gone super well. I’ve put together a really great camp working with wrestlers, working with top jiu-jitsu guys, having them to me. Also, I traveled as well and spent a little bit of time in Austin and working with my team there.”
When discussing Bodoni’s strengths, Lovato Jr. noted the absence of glaring weaknesses:
“Just to what I said before, how complete he is. There’s not like a glaring weakness. He’s very complete, obviously good at the legs, but he wins more these days with his top game and getting to people’s backs.”
One significant advantage Lovato Jr. believes he holds is the cage environment:
“I think it is an advantage for me on paper at least,”
he acknowledged.
“It’s one of those things that until you’ve been in there and feel it, you can be as prepared as you think you could be, but it’s different once you’re in it. I’m not going to shy away from the cage. It’s not like something I want to avoid or that’s going to be weird. It’s also a different psychological feeling as well. They’re literally locking you in and it just brings a different vibe that I think I thrive on.”
Lovato Jr. recognizes the magnitude of the opportunity:
“You name some of those names and this is one that I hadn’t faced yet. And now getting this opportunity to do it with him on the ONE stage back in Tokyo, I mean, I just couldn’t ask for more.”
As for what fans can expect, Lovato Jr. was clear:
“They expect what they always expect from me—me giving my absolute best from beginning to end, putting my heart, my passion out there. I think it’s going to be the highest technical battle that you could imagine in jiu-jitsu, and one that’s really exciting. We’re going to do it in a cage and I’m going to make it physical and do my best from beginning to end to try to put him away.”
