World jiu-jitsu champion Leandro Lo dies from a gunshot to the head

Brazilian sport is in mourning after Brazilian fighter Leandro Lo, one of the world's greatest jiu-jitsu figures and eight-time world champion of this martial art, died this Sunday after being shot at a party.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
07 August 2022 Sunday 10:53
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World jiu-jitsu champion Leandro Lo dies from a gunshot to the head

Brazilian sport is in mourning after Brazilian fighter Leandro Lo, one of the world's greatest jiu-jitsu figures and eight-time world champion of this martial art, died this Sunday after being shot at a party. He went to a popular nightclub in Sao Paulo, the largest city in Brazil, but for unknown reasons he started an argument with a man who ended up shooting him in the head. The fighter died on the spot, as confirmed by federal sources.

"The idol of a sport, Leandro Lo leaves us materially. We offer homage and reverence to the one who helped and inspires so many people to wear the kimono around the world," the Brazilian Confederation of Sports Jiu-Jitsu (CBJJE) reported in a statement. .

The homicide occurred in the early hours of this Sunday at the exclusive Sirio Club, in the southern area of ​​Sao Paulo, where the athlete had gone with friends to enjoy a presentation by a popular music group at a party.

According to witnesses, the fighter argued for reasons not yet clarified with an apparently drunk man and immobilized him with a typical martial arts arm lock in an attempt to calm him down. Once he was free, the assailant pulled out a gun and shot the world champion in the head. He was eventually transferred to a hospital, where he was diagnosed as brain dead.

His aggressor, who fled after the crime, was declared a fugitive despite the fact that the Sao Paulo Militarized Police reported that he had already been identified.

Leandro Pereira do Nascimento Lo, 33, was eight times world champion in jiu-jitsu in five different categories and won five World Cup titles in the sport, as well as eight Pan American titles in this sport.

The fighter, who won his first world title in 2012 in the lightweight category, was still active and in May of this year he won a new world title, but in the medium-heavyweight category.

"The first title was the feeling of becoming world champion and this last one was still being world champion. The two best feelings of my life," the fighter said in a post on his social networks.

The Brazilian was scheduled to play a championship in the United States in the coming days.