Former Coach on Maiquel Falcao: ‘I Was Witness to His Downfall’

In the wake of the death by stabbing of Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran and former Bellator MMA title challenger Maiquel Falcao on Sunday, Sherdog reached out to Falcao’s friend and former coach, Marcelo Brigadeiro. The Astra Fight Team head man gave a frank and harrowing account of his troubled friend and the longstanding issues outside of the cage that hampered his professional as well as personal lives.

Sherdog: Can you talk about the recent report about Maiquel Falcao’s violent stabbing death in Brazil? You worked with him for many years, including his UFC and Bellator stints. He was a controversial person, from his single UFC bout, a win against Gerald Harris, to a gas station fight that resulted in severe brain injuries to his training partner Kaue Mena. At some point he was considered for a UFC return but an old battery charge kept that from happening. He was also a father. What can you say about your former team member?

Brigadeiro: “Falcao was very complex – hard to understand. On one hand, he had a wonderful heart. He was extremely generous and would give whatever he had to help others. I witnessed this on many occasions. He was always concerned with making everyone around him happy and comfortable. When he came to Astra Fight Team, he brought along other fighters from the state of Rio Grande do Sul – guys like Jonas Boeno do Rosario, Cleiton Duarte, and Kaue Mena. He fed them and allowed them to stay at his home until they got on their feet.

“At the same time, he had an aggressive side. This was especially bad when he was under the influence of alcohol. That is how some of these street fights occurred, such as the aforementioned gas station brawl. We had just won the Bellator Season 6 middleweight tournament, and he had just faced [then champion] Alexander Shlemenko. It’s a sad situation. I had to let him go from my team. I had warned him before. World champion or not, I made it clear that this type of behavior wouldn’t be allowed on my team.

“After he no longer trained with us, I continued helping him book fights, to help him financially. I’m the godfather to one of his sons. I didn’t want him to be destitute. I was witness to his downfall to alcohol addiction. It was also obvious by his deteriorating physical shape, as time went by. I suggested that he should stop fighting. He was so talented and tough, but he shouldn’t have been reduced to a mere stepping stone for other fighters. He decided to work with a different manager and was booked on a long streak of losses [mostly by KO] at the end of his career. In a way, I felt that’s how his life was going to end. He would send random messages very late at night, while heavily intoxicated. I don’t know if he was on something else. His words were slurred. He was completely inebriated. People closer to him felt he was lost in life.

“Unfortunately, we know how things are likely to end up when you’re on that path. It’s very sad. I was sad to learn about his death, even though I can’t say I was surprised. I know that he had a good essence. We lived great moments together. I had a lot of affection for him, despite of what happened. I made the business decision to cut him off to safeguard the good name of our team. Astra has graduated many young fighters so we couldn’t have that type of example among us. In the end, I feel Maiquel knew how much I cared for him.”