Falcão in publicity photo
Since yesterday, Brazil’s Maiquel Falcão no longer figures on the UFC’s roster of fighters. The athlete’s manager, Marcelo Brigadeiro, confirmed he had been given his walking papers, through an open letter to the press, as reported by Brazil’s Sportv channel.
The reason for his dismissal, just two weeks after signing to fight at UFC Rio, are the legal troubles Falcão is embroiled in, after his November arrest for a street fight he was indicted for in 2002.
“We received an email from Joe Silva (vice-president of UFC talent relations) saying the UFC has decided to cut Maiquel loose from his contract. The decision has to do with the legal troubles Maiquel has been having lately,” explained Brigadeiro on Sportv channel. “This news caught us by surprise and is upsetting to Maiquel and myself, mainly because we just signed a bout agreement for him to fight at UFC Rio.”
The former Chute Boxe representative only fought once in the UFC, when he won a decision over Gerald Harris, who was until then undefeated since 2007. Tough both on his feet and on the ground, the Pelotas native vows to keep fighting.
“However upset, we respect the UFC’s decision and hope to make it back to the biggest event in the world soon. Things like this serve to get us to reevaluate a lot of things, to learn, and you can be sure Maiquel Falcão will forge ahead. I’m already holding talks with other domestic and international events, and soon you will see Maiquel back in action,” said Brigadeiro.