Can Leandro Lo Make History At The Heavyweight Grand Prix?

Leandro Lo has the chance to make history Saturday night and mark his name down in the jiu-jitsu history books along with greats like Marcelo Garcia, Roger Gracie, and others as one of the best to ever do it.

In the heart of Sao Paulo, Brazil, a full year of hard work and dedication will come to head at the 2016 Copa Podio Heavyweight Grand Prix, where Lo will attempt to become Champion of all three Copa Podio Grand Prix’s: lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight.

It's called the triple crown. And in the history of Copa Podio, no one has ever come close to doing it... before Lo.

Already Lo is one of the most dominant competitors the sport has ever seen. Having gotten his black belt in 2011, he’s been virtually untouchable, losing only a handful of times ever. In fact, he’s won a World Championship every year since 2012. That’s five years in a row.

Back in January during the Lightweight Grand Prix, he beat 2015 ADCC Champion Davi Ramos, Brazilian National Champion Felipe Cesar. and American standout AJ Sousa on his way to Grand Prix gold. He struggled to make the 77kg limit, even enlisting his own nutritionist ahead of the big competition. However, once the weigh-ins were over, it was all Leandro Lo. He took on three-time world champion Lucas Lepri twice in one night, handing the Alliance star his only two losses of the year.



Moving on to the Middleweight Grand Prix, Lo was at his natural weight of 86kg. He blew through the competition, taking victories over Dillon Danis, Nicholas Meregali, and Diego Borges. His final matchup with Erberth Santos was one of the most anticipated in Copa Podio history, and even then Lo seemed to handle the big athletic black belt with ease. 

The Heavyweight Grand Prix posses the most challenging feat to date. With guys like Gabriel Lucas, Alexander Trans and Rodrigo Cavaca, Lo will certainly be at a size disadvantage for the first time at Copa Podio this year. He'll also be facing an Erberth Santos at his natural weight -- Santos usually competes in the super heavyweight divisions. 



If makes Lo history with three Grand Prix titles, it would only add to his already incredible year. In June, he beat Keenan Cornelius and Romulo Barral to win another World Championship. In April, he beat Claudio Calasans to become the 2016 World Pro champion and also bested Andre Galvao to win a Pan American Championship earlier in the year.

But three Copa Podio titles in one year means something different. In a sport where the best athletes from around the world try to rip each other literally limb from limb, it's a miracle anyone can string together a year of successful competition. But to do so against the best of the best time and time again at such a tough tournament like Copa Podio is not only astounding it's history making.


Tune in Saturday night and witness Leandro Lo try to make history by becoming the first ever Triple Crown Copa Podio Champion! You can watch every moment LIVE right here on FloGrappling!