Leandro Lo - Best Jiu-Jitsu Fighter of All Time

Never afraid to step out of his comfort zone, the charismatic BJJ champion Leandro Lo, BJJ champion, shared with “Gracie Mag” a glimpse inside his mind and game plan. It seems he became the holder of most IBJJF World titles due to his confidence. It is evident that he loves doing BJJ and does so with utmost fervor.

Born in the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil, the current BJJ hero, Leandro Lo Pereira Do Nascimento graced the world with his legendary presence on May 11th, 1989. A natural sportsman, Lo was lucky enough to enter the mainstream Jiu-Jitsu world.

Cicero Costha, an important name who played a vital role in Lo’s unrivaled Jiu-Jitsu career, trained the young athlete through his social jiu-jitsu training project - Projecto Social Lutando Pelo Bem - which was launched in 2004 exclusively for underprivileged children.

Lo took to the game immediately. As a blue belt, he had already become a grappling ace, who was admired for his spider guard and smooth triangle techniques.

Life threw a curveball at the purple belt level. Lo’s aggressive game resulted in some serious injuries, causing him to change his fighting style.

The hiatus proved to be a blessing in disguise because Lo now had a reason to stay away from competitions. With the pressure of competition out of the training scheme, Lo utilized his time to improve and polish his game.

In 2007, the Mundials moved to the United States.  Because Lo had to travel to America, he managed to compete in smaller events. Months of training and outstanding BJJ skills helped him to dominate almost all the events.

The year 2011 is when Lo’s career skyrocketed. The two legendary BJJ fighters, Michael Langhi and Celso Vinicius, losing at the hands of Lo, a “newbie-in-town”, caused quite a stir in the Jiu-Jitsu world.

By defeating the favorites in the final rounds of the Trials in the south of Brazil (Gramado), Lo won not just the competition but also the hearts of his spectators.

In 2012, Lo won the Pan American, the Brazilian National, and the Mundial World Championship. Through his remarkable wins, he stole the title of “best lightweight competitor” from Michael Langhi who had remained undefeated in the lightweight division for three consecutive years.

Brimming with confidence, Lo now tested the no-gi waters. Here too, he made his mark by winning open weight divisions in the Brazilian No-Gi Nationals and securing second place in the No-Gi World Championship.

One after the other, he kept conquering the prestigious platforms of the jiu-jitsu world, showcasing his sheer valor and unparalleled grappling skills. Ready for yet another challenge, Lo decided to compete in and dominate the higher weight levels. Whether gi or no-gi, as a middleweight competitor, he managed to rule all the top-tier international grappling competitions.

In 2015, Lo severed all ties with Projecto Social Lutando Pelo Bem and explored the possibility of becoming a trainer. He, along with his able teammates, established an academy -  the Jiu-Jitsu New School Brotherhood Academy.

Leandro's Brotherhood Academy has served Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by producing world-class BJJ grapplers who won many medals. Luiza Monteiro, Wellington Luis, Anderson Lira, and Helio Dias are some of Lo’s  notable students.

This was the pinnacle of his jiu-jitsu career. One would think there is no one who could  ascend further up the ladder. In 2018, Lo was all set to fight in Saulo Ribeiro’s four  IBJJF world titles in different eight classes.

Luck was with him in the finals of the open weight class when his injured opponent, Marcus Almeida, chose to forfeit the title. Hence, the hero of Sao Paulo received his very first absolute title and the 4th world title in multiple weight divisions.

The death of Leandro Lo on Sunday August 7th, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil was an absolute shocker. Lo’s attorney confirmed that he was shot dead by an off-duty military policeman, Henrique Velozo, after an altercation at Groupe Pixote’s music concert.

According to the eyewitnesses, the killer provoked Lo by stealing a drink from his table. This led to a squabble between the two which Lo quickly gained control of. When Lo returned to his table, Velozo shot him in the forehead. Leandro Lo was taken to the Dr. Arture Ribeiro de Saboya hospital immediately, but the eight time IBJJF World champion had already died. On the other hand, Velozo fled the scene but later turned himself into the law-enforcing authorities.

Brazil bereaves Leandro Lo’s death and demands that Velozo be called to justice.

The 2018 Pan Championship was the first tournament for Leandro Lo that year. He couldn't participate in European Championship in 2018, allowing Keenan Cornelius to make a smooth and clear path to the gold in the finals.

Lo and Cornelius faced each other in the absolute class at Pans. Lo claimed his place in the absolute final by striking a flawless double leg-takedown which gave him the necessary points to win.

In 2021, Leandro Lo engaged in a feisty battle with Otavio Sousa in the IBJJJF World Championship quarterfinals. The super-fight between these two outstanding grapplers came down to a score in the concluding 30 seconds, when Leandro became more aggressive in his attacks ans took Sousato the mat. He scored advantage to break the 0-0 standoff and won the match by two scoring points.

In 2017, IBJJF hosted European Open Championship in Odivelas, Portugal (nearby Lisbon). Leandro Lo was all set to compete in the absolute division bracket. All athletes were waiting to demonstrate high-level grappling. But with Lo as an opponent, winning the tournament was not so easy.

Lo put up a gritty battle in the quarterfinal and semi-finals. In the IBJJF European Open, he faced Claudio Calasans. Both veterans fought fiercely for more than ten minutes. Each wanted to claim the title. In the end, Lo defeated Calasans by way of 4x0 points.

• Brazilian National Championship

• IBJJF World Championship
• Abu Dhabi World Cup
• European Championship
• PAn American Championship
• ADCC South American Championship

• World IBJJF Medium Heavyweight Champion
• IBJJF Superheavyweight Champion
• European Jiu-jitsu IBJJF Champion
• Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship
• CBJJ Gi Brazilian National Champion
• CBJJ No-Gi Brazilian National Champion
• Pan American Champion
• Abu Dhabi World Cup Champion
• ADCC South American Champion
• IBJJF World No-Gi Champion

Event	Year	Medals
IBJJF World No-Gi Championship	2012	1 Silver

Event	Year	Medals
CBJJ World No-Gi Championship	2011	1 Gold
CBJJ World No-Gi Championship	2012	2 Gold

Event	Year	Medals
World Championship	2012	1 Gold
World Championship	2013	1 Gold
World Championship	2014	1 Gold
World Championship	2015	1 Gold
World Championship	2015	1 Bronze
World Championship	2016	1 Gold
World Championship	2017	2 Silver
World Championship	2018	1 Silver
World Championship	2018	1 Silver
World Championship	2018	1 Gold
World Championship	2019	1 Gold
World Championship	2019	1 Silver
World Championship	2021	1 Bronze
World Championship	2022	1 Gold

Event	Year	Medal
Pan American Championship	2012	1 Gold
Pan American Championship	2014	1 Silver
Pan American Championship	2014	1 Gold
Pan American Championship	2015	1 Silver
Pan American Championship	2015	1 Gold
Pan American Championship	2016	1 Gold
Pan American Championship	2016	1 Silver
Pan American Championship	2017	2 Gold
Pan American Championship	2018	2 Gold

Event	Year	Medal
World Cup, Abu Dhabi	2011	1 Gold
World Cup, Abu Dhabi	2013	1 Gold
World Cup, Abu Dhabi	2014	1 Gold
World Cup, Abu Dhabi	2015	1 Gold
World Cup, Abu Dhabi	2016	1 Gold

Event	Year	Medal
European Championship	2017	2 Gold

Event	Year	Medal
Brazilian National Championship	2011	1 Gold
Brazilian National Championship	2012	1 Gold
Brazilian National Championship	2017	2 Gold

Event	Year	Medal
ADCC South American Championship	2014	Gold

• He won Brazilian National Championship four times.

• He won European Championship, Portugal twice.

• He won IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu World Championships seven times.

• He won IBJJF Pan American Championships eight times

• He won Jiu-Jitsu World Cup Abu Dhabi, UAE, five times

• He won CBJJ No-Gi Brazilian National Championship thrice.

Leandro Lo v Isaque Bahiense / World Championship 2022

Leandro Lo vs Nathan Mendelsohn

Leandro Lo vs Romulo Barral

Leandro Lo vs Claudevam Martins

Leandro Lo vs Ishaque Bahiense

Leandro Lo vs Gustavo Batista

Photo Credit: @leandrolojj