Maiquel Falcao Released by UFC, Will Not Compete at 'Rio'
Mike Whitman May 11, 2011
Maiquel Falcao is no longer a member of the UFC's roster.
Falcao was reportedly served his walking papers on Monday, via an email from UFC matchmaker Joe Silva. On Tuesday, the fighter's manager, Marcelo Brigadeiro of Prime Fighters Management, directly contacted Brazilian outlet Tatame to announce that Falcao had been released from his UFC contract.
Sherdog.com then confirmed Falcao's release with Brigadeiro, who
also confirmed that the fighter's release was related to a December
arrest stemming from a 2002 assault charge in Falcao's native
Brazil. Brigadeiro requested that Sherdog.com quote him from the
letter he sent to Tatame:
"We’ve received an e-mail from Joe Silva yesterday saying that the UFC decided to end Maiquel Falcao’s contract. They decided to do that because of some legal problems Maiquel got involved [in] recently."
"This news got us by surprise and left us very shocked, mainly after we signed to fight at UFC 'Rio.' Anyway, we’re very grateful for everything the UFC [has] done for Maiquel," added Brigadeiro. "Besides the sadness, we respect UFC’s decision and hope to return to the biggest event on the planet soon. I think this type of thing [happens] to make us think about a lot of things, to learn and move on, and you can be sure that Maiquel Falcao will move on."
"I'm already in talks with other national and international promotions and you will soon watch Maiquel in action again."
After fighting the entirety of his career in Brazil, Falcao made his UFC and North American debuts at UFC 123 in November. “Big Rig” nearly finished Gerald Harris in the first round of the match-up, but the Brazilian's aggression did not last, as the final two rounds of the contest were lackluster. Nonetheless, Falcao walked away with a unanimous decision over Harris, marking his eighth consecutive win.
Falcao was expected to face Tom Lawlor at UFC "Rio" on Aug. 27 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. A replacement is currently being sought to replace the Brazilian in the bout with Lawlor.
Falcao was reportedly served his walking papers on Monday, via an email from UFC matchmaker Joe Silva. On Tuesday, the fighter's manager, Marcelo Brigadeiro of Prime Fighters Management, directly contacted Brazilian outlet Tatame to announce that Falcao had been released from his UFC contract.
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"We’ve received an e-mail from Joe Silva yesterday saying that the UFC decided to end Maiquel Falcao’s contract. They decided to do that because of some legal problems Maiquel got involved [in] recently."
"This news got us by surprise and left us very shocked, mainly after we signed to fight at UFC 'Rio.' Anyway, we’re very grateful for everything the UFC [has] done for Maiquel," added Brigadeiro. "Besides the sadness, we respect UFC’s decision and hope to return to the biggest event on the planet soon. I think this type of thing [happens] to make us think about a lot of things, to learn and move on, and you can be sure that Maiquel Falcao will move on."
"I'm already in talks with other national and international promotions and you will soon watch Maiquel in action again."
After fighting the entirety of his career in Brazil, Falcao made his UFC and North American debuts at UFC 123 in November. “Big Rig” nearly finished Gerald Harris in the first round of the match-up, but the Brazilian's aggression did not last, as the final two rounds of the contest were lackluster. Nonetheless, Falcao walked away with a unanimous decision over Harris, marking his eighth consecutive win.
Falcao was expected to face Tom Lawlor at UFC "Rio" on Aug. 27 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. A replacement is currently being sought to replace the Brazilian in the bout with Lawlor.
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