Unfortunately, Rafael Lovato Jr. is forced to relinquish the Bellator MMA Middleweight Championship. This is due to the newly crowned champion being diagnosed with a medical condition that has abnormally formed blood vessels in the brain and/or spinal cord.
As a result, the MMA fighter is forced to take time away from the sport and Bellator announced that they will reveal plans to crown a new champion within the next few days.
The middleweight has been fighting professionally since 2014 and first competed in Legacy Fighting Championship before making the jump to Bellator MMA in 2017. Going in, Rafael was undefeated and continued to dominate within the middleweight division as he’s beaten Charles Hackmann, Mike Rhodes, Chris Honeycutt, Gerald Harris, and John Salter before defeating Gegard Mousasi at Bellator 223 to win the Middleweight title.
Lovato Jr. released a statement regarding his current situation (Transcript courtesy of
Fightful.com):
“My journey with my team and family to become the Bellator middleweight world champion was incredible and something I will cherish forever,” said Lovato Jr. “I dreamed of having a long reign as champion, but sometimes life has another plan. Bellator has been very supportive during this difficult process, a situation that has never really happened before in our sport. I know the division must move on while I am on the sidelines and I wish everyone great fights on their way to that belt. I will be working to come back if it is possible – and if not, life will continue to be amazing for me and I look forward to working with Bellator in another fashion.”
We’ll keep you updated on the title situation in Bellator MMA. Here's a hopng a speedy recovery for Rafael Lovato Jr.