After Rafael Lovato Jr defied the odds and captured the Bellator Middleweight title last year, many thought it was the start of a long reign from a new dominant champion. But as the months ticked by with no follow-up title defense or Gegard Mousasi rematch in the works, the question began to arise, where is Rafael Lovato Jr?

Well, on a special Wednesday episode of Joe Rogan's wildly popular MMA show, Lovato sat down for the first time by himself to tell the world exactly what he's been going through and the tumultuous journey that led him to the Bellator title and beyond.

Unbeknownst to almost everyone, including his parents, Rafael Lovato Jr revealed he was diagnosed with a rare and not fully understood brain abnormality called Cavernoma.

Google defines the disorder as a cluster of abnormal blood vessels, usually found in the brain and spinal cord. You can listen to the jiu-jitsu world champion detail the scary ordeal in full below:

At 36 years old and after a "sidelined indefinitely" diagnosis, Rafael's MMA future is uncertain, but in the meantime the good news is he'll continue to be active on the jiu-jitsu circuit with upcoming super fights already booked.