The 42-year-old American seeks to add another elite-level submission to his resume against an opponent 13 years his junior.
Bodoni brings exceptional credentials to this matchup. The 29-year-old captured ADCC world championship gold in 2022 and 2024, becoming the first athlete to win back-to-back titles in the 88-kilogram division. His training under John Danaher at New Wave in Texas has produced victories over multiple IBJJF and ADCC world champions.
Lovato remains competitive at the highest level despite his age. He earned ADCC silver in 2024 and became the first athlete to win all four IBJJF major championships in both gi and no-gi competition this past June. His recent performances validate his ability to compete against the sport’s current elite grapplers.
His tactical assessment of Bodoni reveals respect for the young champion’s complete skill set. Lovato acknowledges his opponent’s abilities across all grappling positions while identifying no significant weaknesses to exploit.
“He’s very complete. He can win on top, he can win on bottom. His wrestling is good. He also has very good defense. Even when he’s gotten into a little bit of trouble, he’s usually able to not just survive, but actually come back and either win or fire off some offense again. There are no real holes in his game,” Lovato said.
Despite the challenge Bodoni presents, Lovato’s experience against elite competition provides confidence. His decades of high-pressure performances have prepared him for exactly these types of matchups against younger, highly credentialed opponents.
Lovato has secured 76 of his 141 career victories via submission. His approach focuses on creating dominant positions that force mistakes from even the most defensively sound opponents. While Bodoni rarely gets submitted, Lovato believes sustained pressure will create finishing opportunities.
“I have a couple of attacks that I can bring him into a position where I can fire those off. I don’t expect it to be easy to finish him. I don’t think I’ve ever really seen him get submitted. But I believe that by the time I get to a dominant position, I’ll have broken him down enough that I can at least get a good look at it,” Lovato said.
Beyond his grappling achievements, Lovato holds a perfect 11-0 MMA record with nine finishes. His multi-discipline background makes him particularly interested in pursuing ONE Championship opportunities across both grappling and MMA competition.
A victory over Bodoni would position Lovato for potential championship opportunities should ONE introduce a middleweight submission grappling title. The American legend views this as the logical next step in his career.
“We’re gonna get this victory, and then I’m hoping that they might consider doing more titles in these other weight classes for grappling. Ideally, I get a beautiful big win and they want to have me back and let me go for a title fight in the next step,” Lovato said.
