Former Bellator Title Challenger Maiquel Falcao Stabbed to Death in Brazil

Former UFC and Bellator fighter Maiquel Falcao died after being stabbed 17 times early Sunday morning in his hometown of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.

Falcao was found by the Military Brigade lying on the sidewalk, surrounded by broken bottles, in front of a beverage distributor located on Major Francisco Nunes de Souza Street. Falcao was still alive when he was transported by ambulance to the Pelotas emergency room, where he was intubated and ultimately died as a result of his injuries. Local police are investigating the crime.

Falcao was 40 years old. He compiled a 40-20 mark in his MA career, with his most recent appearance coming in a first-round technical knockout loss to Nemanja Uveric at Serbian Battle Championship 36 on Oct. 16, 2021.

The Brazilian known as “Big Rig” had a well-traveled professional tenure. His lone Octagon appearance came in 2010, when he outpointed Gerald Harris at UFC 123. However, he was released by the promotion due to issues with the Brazilian justice system stemming from a street fight in 2002.

After that, Falcao signed with Bellator MMA in 2012, where he won his first three bouts before falling to Alexander Shlemenko in a middleweight title clash at Bellator 88 on Feb. 7, 2013. Falcao has also fought for organizations such as KSW, M-1 Global and Fight Nights Global over the course of his professional career.