According to multiple reports, UFC middleweight and Brazilian native Maiquel Falcao has not only been removed from the UFC 134 event, he's been cut by the UFC altogether. Falcao's previous/ongoing problems with the law appear to be the reason for the dismissal. Tatame received an open letter penned by Falcao's manager Marcelo Brigadeiro describing the situation:
UFC 134: Maiquel Falcao Removed From UFC 134 Card, Cut By UFC
I decided to communicate you because of the respect we have with Maiquel’s fans. I always worked in a honest and clear way about everything, and wouldn’t act that way in this situation.
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 have done for Maiquel and we believe we go out in a good way.
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 happen to make us think about a lot of things, to learn and move on, and you can be sure that Maiquel Falcão will move on.
Falcao’s problems are hard to understand, but MMA Junkie tries to lay them out:
“In 2002, I was at a club with a couple of friends, and one of them had an argument with another group of guys,” Falcao said. “They started fighting, and soon it became a fight between two groups. One girl got injured in the lips during this mess and took me and my friends to court. I was considered guilty for aggression.
“I was supposed to present myself regularly and could not leave the town, but I did not know that because the lawyer who was working on this at that time said that I had nothing else to worry about and that I could move. I moved to another city to train in a better team, and because this lawyer did not say anything to the judge about it, I was considered missing.”
Reports earlier in the spring had suggested that Falcao was cleared of all legal troubles, but even if that’s the case, and if his management is to be believed, it seems that outcry from the public and the Brazilian media led to Falcao’s release, and not necessarily ongoing legal proceedings.
Tom Lawlor was Falcao's original opponent. No word yet on whether Lawlor will receive a replacement or if he is off the card as well.
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