Leandro Lo checking out the latest issue of GRACIEMAG. Photo: Gustavo Aragão
Current two-time lightweight world champion by the IBJJF, black-belt Leandro Lo goes through a slower phase in his training. One of the reasons for this is that he wasn’t invited to take part in ADCC Beijing, scheduled for October 19–20.
Lo, who comes from a no-gi win over Claudio Calasans at Copa Pódio, had been requested to have a valid passport, and believed that meant he was a contestant for a spot in the ADCC. But it was not to be.
GRACIEMAG contacted English ADCC promoter Guy Neivens to find out why the beloved fighter was left out. Guy does not usually discuss non-selected athletes, but he gave us a brief statement to clarify the matter: “What happens is, historically, it has never been ADCC policy to invite athletes based on their success in the gi.”
With that, Lo, who indeed did not take part in the Brazilian trials, is out, barring some last-minute surprise.
So Leandro changed up his routine at his São Paulo academy: “Now I’m training again in the gi, which is what I like most. Even so, twice a week I’ll train no-gi, also in order to help João Miyao, who’s going to Beijing to win it. He’s been incredibly fast at training.”
Lo already has a no-gi superfight in November against his idol Romulo Barral, at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo, in Long Beach. Before that, however, he has laid out his short-term goals:
“I’m working out like never before, in order to move up to middleweight for good. I’m weighing 176 pounds and I think the change will be good. The goal of the move is to fight better in the open. The way I’ve been doing it, I arrive at the championship having to lose weight and diet, and then it gets tough taking on the bigger guys. I really enjoy competing in the absolute, but I don’t want to just be a part of it – I wanna be in it to win it. So I have decided to move up for good. I’ll only think about dropping back if I start
losing everything,” Lo says, laughing.
What do you think, esteemed reader? Can phenomenal lightweight Leandro Lo repeat his success as a middleweight?
