The two latest cuts from Bellator should come as no surprise to those who have been following the MMA world. The first one that makes a lot of sense is Maiquel Falcao, who was involved in a crazy gas station brawl in Brazil a few weeks ago. It all started because he hit a woman, which sparked the crazy brawl and him and a friend getting hit by giant planks of wood.
The second is Paul Daley. Daley has, of course, had his own legal problems which have kept him from fighting in the United States, but he’s been very vocal about wanting out of his Bellator contract so he can get fights in places where he can fight a lot easier. For Daley this seems like a godsend, probably, as he has been wanting to take more fights as it is.
Here’s the word from Bellator.
“We examine each situation on a case by case basis,” he said, “and, in these two instances, the violent nature of both situations has led to our decision to release both fighters from the organization. We recently received and reviewed the real documents in Daley’s situation, which made clear that he was not in fact cleared, but was actually convicted of both assault by beating and obstructing an officer.
“And, in Maiquel’s situation the video speaks for itself,” he continued. “After reviewing the footage and speaking to the parties involved, including Maiquel and his former manager and trainer Marcelo Brigadeiro, we felt this was the appropriate decision. Maiquel was nothing but a professional during his time with Bellator, but these recent developments have prevented us from keeping Maiquel with the organization.
“Both fighters are now able to fight wherever they wish and for whoever they wish,” he said. “We have retained no matching rights to either fighter. We wish them the best in their future endeavors.”