Rafael Lovato Jr. height - How tall is Rafael Lovato Jr.?

On January 29, 2020, while appearing on the Joe Rogan Experience, Lovato revealed that he was dealing with a brain condition called cerebral cavernoma. He stated that the condition was nearly a reason for him to be pulled from his title bout with Gegard Mousasi, but he was ultimately given clearance. However, after further review on the potential risks of the condition weeks following the bout against Mousasi, commissions in Europe have stated they will not give Lovato clearance to fight in Europe any longer. Per the advice of his doctors, Lovato then said for the time being his MMA career is on hold, though he did not announce retirement and is hopeful he will fight again in the future. On February 10, 2020, it was announced that Lovato had relinquished the Bellator Middleweight title.

Lovato was expected to face John Salter at Bellator 198 on April 28, 2018. John Salter was later pulled from the event by the Illinois Athletic Commission due to an eye issue on April 24 and replaced by Gerald Harris. Rafael Lovato Jr. won the fight via armbar submission in the first round.

Lovato faced John Salter on September 21, 2018 at Bellator 205. Rafael Lovato Jr. won the fight via a submission.

Lovato was scheduled to face Gegard Mousasi for the Bellator Middleweight World Championship. This bout was expected to serve as the co-headliner of Bellator 214. On December 20, 2018, it was reported that Mousasi pulled from the fight, citing a back injury and Lovato was pulled from the card. The bout against Mousasi was rescheduled to June 22, 2019 in London, England at Bellator 223. Lovato defeated Mousasi by majority decision.

In March 2017, Lovato made his debut for Bellator MMA. He faced Charles Hackmann at Bellator 174 and won the fight via TKO just 13 seconds into the first round.

In his second Bellator bout, Lovato faced Mike Rhodes at Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017. Rafael Lovato Jr. won the fight via submission in the first round.

Lovato faced Chris Honeycutt at Bellator 189 on December 1, 2017 and Rafael Lovato Jr. won the fight by unanimous decision.

Lovato made his professional MMA debut in September 2014 for the Legacy Fighting Championship promotion. He fought for the organization four times over the next two years. He went undefeated and won and defended the company's Middleweight Championship.

Lovato is a black belt under Carlos Machado, the oldest of the Machado family. Rafael has had a long and formative training history with Xande and Saulo Ribeiro, one which began after he competed against Saulo in the finals of the 2003 Arnold Classic, when Rafael was just 19 years old.

Rafael Lovato Jr. (born June 25, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist and BJJ competitor and instructor who is currently competing in the Middleweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Middleweight World Champion. He is currently ranked as the #4 Middleweight fighter in the world by Fight Matrix.