Lovato Jr. was born on June 25, 1983, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and moved with his family to Oklahoma City at the age of eight. His father, a Jeet Kune Do instructor, introduced him to the world of martial arts at an early age through various martial arts disciplines and amateur boxing. At thirteen, he discovered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which would become his life's work. He initially trained under Carlos Machado and later under the renowned brothers Saulo and Xande Ribeiro, under whom he ultimately earned his fifth-degree black belt.
His gi competition career brought him a unique achievement in 2007: he became the first non-Brazilian to win the prestigious Brazilian Championship (Brasileiros) at black-belt level, and that same year completed the black-belt Grand Slam by winning all major IBJJF tournaments. Years later, he repeated this feat in the no-gi discipline, becoming the only athlete to complete the IBJJF Grand Slam in both gi and no-gi.
In MMA, Lovato Jr. built a perfect undefeated record of 11-0 between 2014 and 2019, with seven wins by submission, two by knockout, and two by decision. The highlight came in June 2019, when he defeated Gegard Mousasi to capture the Bellator middleweight title. In January 2020, he was diagnosed with a cerebral cavernoma, a rare brain condition, forcing him to vacate his title and leaving his fighting future uncertain. He briefly returned to the cage in December 2022, but afterward increasingly focused on grappling.
At the 2024 ADCC World Championship under 99 kg, Lovato Jr. surprisingly reached the final, defeating three opponents before losing to Kaynan Duarte and claiming silver. In 2025, he signed with ONE Championship and made his debut at ONE 173 on November 16, 2025, with a victory over Giancarlo Bodoni. At ONE Fight Night 47 on September 4, 2026, he suffered a setback: Polish IBJJF no-gi world champion Pawel Jaworski threw him to the mat and, after the throw, transitioned to a side kneebar, resulting in a submission loss after 1 minute and 51 seconds.
In addition to his sporting career, Lovato Jr. is married to Diana Saldana and is the father of twins, Lorenzo and Mila.
United States
