Seven fighters have accused UFC and PFL veteran Francimar Barroso of reserving after which cancelling MMA occasions in Russia to steal cash from sponsors and never pay fighters.
Ednaldo Oliveira and Leonardo Guimaraes, who’ve additionally fought within the UFC prior to now, allege that Barroso satisfied them to journey to Russia underneath the promise they might struggle for Barroso’s MMA promotion Bodão Preventing Championship. The occasions ended up being cancelled days earlier than every date on three separate events in 2024, with fighters not receiving any portion of their contracted purse.
Oliveira and Guimaraes declare that Barroso pocketed the cash paid by sponsors after every cancelled occasion. MMA fighters Delmar Silva, Marcos Sullivan, Leonardo Fraga, and Alexsander Pereira all spoke with MMA Preventing and likewise echoed the claims.
“He moved to Russia to start out his workforce and texted all people providing good purses and construction,” Oliveira mentioned. “He then set a date for his occasion and began to make use of our picture as ex-UFC fighters to advertise the playing cards, so sponsors noticed that and injected cash. He then cancelled the occasion 4 days out. I stayed [in Russia] for 4 months and he did that 3 times. He bought the cash from the sponsors and there was no present.”
In line with Oliveira, they initially stayed in a pleasant residence in Russia, however then bought moved to a small room behind Barroso’s gymnasium and barely had cash for meals. In line with the group of fighters, Barroso promised to pay them a every day price of 1,000 rubles (roughly $10), however ultimately began delaying the fee.
“There have been rats and cockroaches in all places,” Oliveira mentioned in regards to the room within the gymnasium. “There was no cash for us to return to Brazil. The unique settlement was that he would pay for our prices till we fought, however then he began charging us for all the things… He’s been doing that for a few years, so we’re getting collectively to file a lawsuit towards him now.
“We need to expose him as a result of we heard he’s making an attempt to construct one other workforce in 2025 and idiot extra fighters.”
Chatting with MMA Preventing, Barroso has denied any wrongdoing. Barroso, who had 9 UFC appearances — together with a call win over Ednaldo Oliveira again in 2013 within the UFC — and went 5-0-1 underneath the PFL banner, returned to motion in June 2024 after an extended interval of inactivity, defeating Dmitriy Vezhenko by way of second-round TKO in Russia. He claims that Oliveira is stirring up controversy and making an attempt to show fighters towards him as a result of jealousy.
“He had two fights in a giant group [UFC], I defeated him, and since then he’s mentioned all the things was regular between us,” Barroso mentioned. “He mentioned he was my pal, we have been buddies, so I introduced him right here, however I by no means felt he was actually stable. Many individuals instructed me he simply needed to get again at me, that he was mad at me as a result of he feels I used to be accountable for him getting lower [from the UFC]. I used to be like, ‘What? Is he mentally unwell? It is a sport.’
“Sadly, I had no thought. I helped him with all the things I may, however folks mentioned he was indignant and jealous of me.”
Like Oliveira, Pereira mentioned he was approached by Barroso with a proposal to hitch his workforce and to struggle in a MMA promotion not owned by him. Pereira was already coaching in Russia on the time of the invitation, and mentioned he was promised a $4,000 purse, however was solely paid $800.
Pereira claims Barroso stopped paying his every day price for meals when he heard he deliberate on leaving for Brazil. Barroso denies these claims.
“I instructed Delmar he would do additionally that to all of them,” Pereira mentioned, claiming he stayed illegally within the nation for six days after his visa expired, however nonetheless managed to board a flight to Brazil. “For my part, he simply needs to take folks there to allow them to educate courses for him. He retains promising fights and charging a excessive proportion.”
Silva was residing in Portugal when a pal steered him to textual content Barroso to be on his workforce in Russia, and so he did. Silva claims he was additionally promised to have his prices paid for till he bought a struggle, however Barroso ultimately lower the cash and have become aggressive. The fights have been supposedly booked for August, September and October, however the occasions by no means occurred. In line with Silva, an affiliate of Barroso claimed they pulled the plug on one of many playing cards as a result of “the printed was cancelled.”
Silva mentioned he agreed to struggle for a present cash of $500, manner underneath the unique purse settlement, as a result of he wanted cash to pay his payments. He additionally said the opponent was not good and it was an opportunity to enhance his MMA file. Silva claims Barroso tried to persuade all of the fighters in his gymnasium to make use of steroids, which he agreed to.
Silva mentioned he and the others have been compelled to show non-public courses to receives a commission however they by no means obtained the agreed-upon fee.
“I bear in mind telling the others that I wasn’t feeling alright, that I couldn’t take it no extra,” Silva mentioned. “My alimony was late, I owed cash to my pals, and the cash he was giving us may barely pay for the meals. He wouldn’t even give us cash more often than not, and never pay for the non-public courses both.”
Silva determined to depart Russia in October and Barroso countered that he would get him a struggle later that month. Silva requested for cash upfront so he may pay for his flight, and claims that Barroso responded, “Even for those who struggle right here 10 instances you received’t be capable to pay me again as a result of you will have debt with me.”
A screenshot of a dialog between them reveals Barroso charging him practically $2,000 for the price of staying in Russia.
“I saved coaching for the struggle, and once more they cancelled the occasion,” Silva mentioned. “I already had the flight ticket, so I bought my stuff and left working. I used to be the primary to appreciate we have been handled like slaves.”
Barroso alleges the Bodão Preventing Championship playing cards have been cancelled as a result of quite a few circumstances, together with the continued Russian assault on Ukraine. He mentioned he would pay for fighters’ flights again residence, however they left the nation in the course of the evening with out informing him, and he claimed he paid all of the fighters the agreed price for the non-public courses.
He added the rationale why the fighters have been moved from the residence to the room in his gymnasium was as a result of they have been being kicked out of the constructing over complaints from the neighbors for being “too messy and noisy.” Barroso additionally claims one of many fighters was utilizing his gymnasium in a single day to show courses, and one other man had stolen gadgets from the gymnasium and continually requested college students for cash, leading to a “huge monetary loss.”
All of the fighters managed to ultimately depart the nation, however Guimaraes needed to keep longer than anybody else.
Guimaraes mentioned he was the one one to signal a contract with Barroso, naming Barroso his supervisor, and completely tying himself to Bodão Preventing Championship. After so many cancelled reveals, Guimaraes mentioned he reached out to different promotions and booked two MMA fights for December, seeking to make sufficient cash to purchase a flight again to Brazil.
Guimaraes, who boxed Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Fabio Maldonado in surging struggle promotion Battle Music Present in Brazil lately, claims he misplaced a superb sponsorship deal because of the numerous cancelled fights in Russia. Guimaraes was knocked out by Vladimir Seliverstov on Dec. 7, and claims he didn’t earn what he was promised.
“[Barroso] instructed the promotion to present me half the cash and wire the opposite half to his account, and instructed me he would give me some extra after we bought again to the gymnasium,” Guimaraes mentioned. “Once we bought right here, he mentioned he wouldn’t give me something as a result of he needed to pay his hire in any other case he would lose his gymnasium. What has that bought to do with me?”
Guimaraes fought every week later in Moscow and was once more stopped within the second spherical. He lastly made it to Brazil on New 12 months’s Eve.
“They put guys on slave labor right here,” Guimaraes mentioned. “They provide them 400 rubles ($3.60) a day. That’s nothing. They create folks with a one-way ticket and you’ll’t return, as a result of the flight ticket doesn’t exist. You need to struggle so as to generate profits to return, and who is aware of in the event that they actually will get you a ticket.”
Barroso denies all of the allegations and mentioned he determined to cease selling MMA occasions till he’s capable of management the manufacturing himself, and mentioned some fighters left Russia owing him cash.
“They needed to pay me as a result of we had an settlement,” Barroso mentioned. “I didn’t need greater than what we had agreed to, which was 20 p.c [of their purses]. Some didn’t struggle, and certainly one of them escaped in the course of the evening. I came upon when he was on the airport, and he escaped with out paying me something. They even created a faux Instagram account to ship imply phrases to my spouse.”
