Bellator middleweight champion Raphael Lovato Jr. is in a battle for his fighting career in the form of a brain condition that could cause him to give up his title and retire.
It’s been a trying past 14 months for Lovato Jr. (10-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA), but the struggles have led to some major revelations about his health. He’s been diagnosed with cavernoma, a condition involving “abnormally formed blood vessels,” typically in the brain or spinal cord, according to the Mayo Clinic.
For the entirety of Lovato’s MMA career, he said he fought in locations where the sanctioning body did not require brain scans. He was required by European regulatory body Safe MMA to get one ahead of challenging Gegard Mousasi for the 185-pound belt at Bellator 223 this past June, and that’s when the issues came up.
Bellator champ Rafael Lovato Jr. reveals he's 'indefinitely on the sidelines' with brain condition