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Leandro Lo: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion shot in SΓ£o Paulo club

Two Jiu-Jitsu fans share what Leandro Lo meant to them and what his legacy will be for the sport.

The world of Jiu-Jitsu is in mourning after one of its greatest athletes, Leandro Lo, was declared brain dead after being shot in the head in a SΓ£o Paulo club.

Lo was one of the most successful Jiu-Jitsu athletes of all time, having won the World Championships eight times.

Witnesses said Lo and his friends were approached by a man in a threatening manner, Lo immobilised the man, but after he let him go, the man shot Lo.

Outside Source has been speaking to two Jiu-Jitsu fans and fighters to find out what Leandro Lo meant to them. AJ from St Louis, Missouri in the US teaches Ju-Jitsu and fights at an amateur level and Aaron La Farge from Southern California is a professional MMA fighter and Jiu-Jitsu is one of his disciplines.

AJ says: "Leandro Lo was at the pinnacle of the sport, he was a phenomenal athlete. He's someone that was easy to look up to because of his style... there's just no way to dislike the guy."

And Aaron reflects that: "He's someone I always wanted to learn from in person... ask questions, pick his brain but I never got to meet Leandro Lo and that's a sad thing."

(Photo: Leandro Lo competing in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in 2014. Credit: Getty Images)

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4 minutes