Technique Talk: Rafael Lovato gives a progress report on BJJ in MMA

Among other accomplishments in jiu-jitsu, Rafael Lovato, Jr. is the first non-Brazilian to win the Brazilian national championships, and in 2007, became the third American to win a world title at the black belt level. These kinds of accolades were once a guarantee of success in MMA, but he’s entered the sport at a time where top rank jiu-jitsu guarantees as little as it ever has, albeit in MMA’s relatively short history.
Some of this is easy to understand. Best practices have rapidly