Happy Monday! Let’s sweep & start on top of this new week!!! 💪🏼🥋♾
@timeless_jiujitsu #TimelessJiuJitsu #JiuJitsu #Sweep #DeLaRiva #DLRX #MondayMotivation

#TBT a little over 5yrs ago to the @legacyfighting days! This was my 2nd fight & it was against a very young Kevin Holland who was 4-1 at the time with some Muay Thai fight experience as well. He stepped in last minute just as he does today. My original opponent was a much shorter southpaw with heavy hands. This was a completely different style match up, but I was happy & grateful to Kevin for allowing me the opportunity to fight & show the work I had put in. He has developed a lot of skills & had an insane @ufc run in 2020! I was pretty sad when he beat Jacaré, but much respect to someone that is really willing to fight anyone, anytime ✊🏼
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This is a great example of how effective BJJ fundamentals are. Clinch, takedown, mount, strike, back take, & RNC 🐍
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#JiuJitsu #MMA #Sub #RNC #Basics

Não nasci Brasileiro, mas fui criado como Brasileiro 💚🇧🇷💛
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I’m very grateful that my martial arts journey led me to Brazil & kept me going back regularly for these last twenty plus years. From Jiu-Jitsu in Rio & São Paulo as a teenager into my 20’s, to Muay Thai & MMA in Curitiba during my 30’s. I have learned, competed, done fight camps, developed lasting relationships, created powerful memories, & felt inspired by the passion of Brazilian martial artists throughout my whole life. The fire inside a young Brazilian fighter to become a champion & create a better life for their family has resonated with me since I was a 16yr old boy seeing a third world country for the first time. I knew then & there that I could never match their hunger for glory until I found my own deep burning desire. I don’t have Brazil in my blood, but it will always be in my heart & my teachings.
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I encourage all of you to make a trip to Brazil to train/compete, learn the language, & experience the culture, one of the top items on your bucket list. YOU CAN’T FULLY KNOW JIU-JITSU, UNTIL YOU KNOW BRAZIL.
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I’m going to post some special pictures of me in Brazil way back in the day later this week 😁
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🎥 by @flograppling

One of my 2021 dreams 🙏🏼🥊🏆
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Sharing this clip from an interview I did last month with @lukethomasnews & the @morningkombat show. You can watch the full interview on their YouTube channel. I’ve never given up hope & I believe it is my destiny to step in that cage at least one more time…

Pressure Passing + Submission Hunting = @timeless_jiujitsu
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One of the strongest elements to a pressure passing style is the ability to start attacking submissions after you work your way inside past the knee line. From there the guard player will be met with the dilema of using his hands to protect against the submission, which will make the pass easier, or to continue using his hands to defend the pass & possibly risk the submission. Here my opponent focused on the submission defense & I used my left knee to help clear the way. From there he tried to get the last ditch effort sweep, but with the Brabo grip, the choke is too tight & you can risk going to your back to finish.
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I taught this submission series in a Brabo choke instructional years ago. I think it’s time for an update & a complete breakdown of how I like to dismantle half guards. Who would like to watch & study that??? 🧐
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🎥: @flograppling

#TakedownTuesday 🤼‍♂️
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Here are two different examples of me hitting the Throw-By in competition. This is the same takedown (different variation) that @kaynanduarte used to be victorious in his @flograppling main event. It has been one of my favorites for a long time. It’s a great way to attack your opponents collar tie. Some times you can jump right on their back (2nd clip) or at the very least, you will end up with a rear body lock. Who would like to see a breakdown of this technique??? #Wrestling #Takedown

Do you even crawl bro??? 🦍
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Crawling & animal movements are a big part of my training. Functional strength & conditioning while being safe on your body. Focus on technique & make the easy difficult. Backwards crawling uphill is no joke! @greenstrengthiv style 💪🏼 @athleteinc_

Wrestling ~ Jiu-Jitsu ⚔️
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Going full Porrada mode with my brother, Wrestling Coach & Lovato Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, @matrixgrappling, who has been one of my best training partners for over a decade. Here I am doing exactly what he taught me to do, make them pay from the front headlock & transition to the single right as the head pops out. (One of the few times I’ve been able to put him down over the years 😁) From there the Jiu-Jitsu kicks in & I ended up finishing a bit of a weird variation to an arm bar, almost like a 50/50 armlock…
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Who else loves to cross train & combine their wrestling & Jiu-Jitsu together??? 🤼‍♂️🥋💪🏼
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#Porrada #EverydayPorrada #Wrestling #JiuJitsu #Grappling #BJJ #Scrappling #Submission #Armbar #Armlock #LovatoJiuJitsu #TeamLovato #TimelessJiuJitsu #TakedownTuesday

@bjj.fanatics has extended their Cyber Monday sale & it is still running!!! Be sure to take advantage & grab my new Butterfly Guard series along with my
Top Game Devastation series if you don’t have it yet. I put both systems to work here in my last adult Worlds appearance in 2014. I promise they will help take your game to the next level 🥋💪🏼👊🏼 @timeless_jiujitsu

Always Working!!! 😤💪🏼 After 6x6min rounds of Jiu-Jitsu @northcoastjiujitsu finished up with 6×10 sec sprints on the airdyne in the Cali ☀️ The year isn’t over yet!!!

Como que tá o seu Portuguese???
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My Portuguese is far from perfect, but it’s always getting better little by little by making it a point to talk to my Brazilian friends in their language at least a few min everyday. When I don’t know a word, I look it up & memorize it.
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I think it is important to learn the language to understand the culture more & connect deeper to the roots of Jiu-Jitsu. At the very least, learn the Jiu-Jitsu vocabulary so you can talk technique with your 🇧🇷 friends & understand what your opponent’s coaches are saying during your matches 😉
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Teaching Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil after all the years coming here to learn as a kid, is a dream come true 🙏🏼 #FullCircle #Gratidão #Brasil #JiuJitsu

Not your typical Monday 😉
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It was a leg day grind, but the greatest views come after the hardest climbs 💪🏼 Incredible experience at @lagoinhadoleste today!!! 🙏🏼🇧🇷 #Floripa #LagoinhaDoLeste

Feels so nice to be back in the land of Porrada, but this time without the stress of a fight coming up. Now I’m still learning, having fun, & staying ready in case I can come back. Thanks to my brother & best training partner @frohlich_mma for always being there to work with me & to Master @andredida for making Curitiba my 2nd home during my MMA career🙏🏼💪🏼👊🏼
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#EvolucaoThai #GorillasDaPorrada #PorradaComAlegria #Curitiba #MuayThai

Brasil has always had a special way of bringing out the best of me. Can’t wait to feel that vibe again tomorrow!!!
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#FBF #TeamLovato #LovatoJiuJitsu #IMakeHistory #LastRoundBestRound #TimelessJiuJitsu #RafaelLovatoJr #BJJ #JiuJitsu #Highlight