Former UFC Brazil Exec Giovani Decker Explains Departure from Promotion
At least one former UFC executive believes Brazilian fighters
haven’t necessarily been given a fair shake of late in the
promotion.
Giovani Decker, who recently left his position as the UFC’s senior vice president and general manager, took to Instagram on Friday to offer some reasons for his departure from the Las Vegas-based organization. Treatment of Brazilian fighters was one of the reasons he elected to move on from the UFC.
“Today, I officialize the rumors that were ‘leaked’ in the media on
Sept. 30 that I’m no longer in charge of the UFC in Brazil,” Decker
wrote. “The reasons are many, but I’ll cite as the main ones the
lack of autonomy to perform a job well done and the latest
decisions involving Brazilian fighters about to fight for
belts.”
Decker’s post likely references recent complaints made by longtime Brazilian UFC stars Jose Aldo and Anderson Silva. Aldo requested the termination of his contract after the promotion announced that reigning featherweight king Conor McGregor would challenge for Eddie Alvarez’s lightweight crown in the UFC 205 headliner; McGregor has not defended the 145-pound belt since defeating Aldo this past December.
The UFC confirmed Decker’s resignation earlier this month, revealing in a statement that he had left the promotion to pursue “opportunities outside of the organization.” Decker joined the company in March 2015 after a previous stint as the president for athletic apparel company ASICS’ Brazilian branch.
While he had his reasons for leaving, Decker also made sure to thank his former employers.
“I really appreciate the opportunity given to me by the UFC. I had an incredible 18 months as head of the promotion in the country, where, among other accomplishments, I had the opportunity and the pleasure to lead UFC 198, the biggest MMA event in the history of Brazil, with 15,000 people at the weigh-ins and over 45,000 people at the event, the third biggest in the history of the UFC,” Decker wrote. “I thank the athletes who always had a special kindness toward me, understanding I was there to help them, to guide them. Know that I’ve learned a lot from all of you!
“To the UFC fans, my thank you for the positive energy toward me and my work. I will cherish every one of these moments as one-of-a-kind in my life! Know that MMA has got a fan, a practitioner [though quite clumsy, it’s true] who will always be rooting for this sport, for the UFC, for the fighters in general and for the Brazilian fighters in particular.”
Giovani Decker, who recently left his position as the UFC’s senior vice president and general manager, took to Instagram on Friday to offer some reasons for his departure from the Las Vegas-based organization. Treatment of Brazilian fighters was one of the reasons he elected to move on from the UFC.
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Decker’s post likely references recent complaints made by longtime Brazilian UFC stars Jose Aldo and Anderson Silva. Aldo requested the termination of his contract after the promotion announced that reigning featherweight king Conor McGregor would challenge for Eddie Alvarez’s lightweight crown in the UFC 205 headliner; McGregor has not defended the 145-pound belt since defeating Aldo this past December.
Meanwhile, ex-middleweight king Silva expressed disappointment for
a
lack of gratitude from the promotion after he stepped in on
extremely short notice to face Daniel
Cormier at UFC 200. “The Spider” also said he was disappointed
with the overall treatment of Brazilian athletes within the
promotion.
The UFC confirmed Decker’s resignation earlier this month, revealing in a statement that he had left the promotion to pursue “opportunities outside of the organization.” Decker joined the company in March 2015 after a previous stint as the president for athletic apparel company ASICS’ Brazilian branch.
While he had his reasons for leaving, Decker also made sure to thank his former employers.
“I really appreciate the opportunity given to me by the UFC. I had an incredible 18 months as head of the promotion in the country, where, among other accomplishments, I had the opportunity and the pleasure to lead UFC 198, the biggest MMA event in the history of Brazil, with 15,000 people at the weigh-ins and over 45,000 people at the event, the third biggest in the history of the UFC,” Decker wrote. “I thank the athletes who always had a special kindness toward me, understanding I was there to help them, to guide them. Know that I’ve learned a lot from all of you!
“To the UFC fans, my thank you for the positive energy toward me and my work. I will cherish every one of these moments as one-of-a-kind in my life! Know that MMA has got a fan, a practitioner [though quite clumsy, it’s true] who will always be rooting for this sport, for the UFC, for the fighters in general and for the Brazilian fighters in particular.”
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