Maiquel José Falcão Gonçalves (8 March 1981 – 23 January 2022) was a Brazilian professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competed in the

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

division. A professional competitor since 2004, Falcão was perhaps best known for his stint in

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * ''Bellator'' (fish), a fish genus in the family Triglidae (sea robins) ** ...

, winning the Season Six Middleweight Tournament; he also fought for the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

, KSW,

Fight Nights Global AMC Fight Nights (or Fight Nights Global before 2021) is a Russian mixed martial arts organization that previously hosted K-1 and other martial arts events. It is one of the largest promotion companies in the world and features some of the top-ra ...

, and

M-1 Global M-1 Global (Mixfight-1) or MMA-1 (Mixed martial arts-1) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in St. Petersburg, Russia which organizes between 10 and 20 competitions per year. It hosted its first major show (rather than co-promoting with oth ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

''Falcão'' compiled a record of 25-3 (1) with 21 wins by

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...

, fighting exclusively in his native Brazil. Two of his early losses came at the hands of former

Fábio Maldonado Fábio Maldonado (born 17 March 1980) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and boxer. A professional MMA competitor since 2000, he has also competed for the UFC. Boxing career Simultaneous to becoming a mixed martial arts fig ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On 20 November 2010, ''Falcão'' made his UFC debut at

UFC 123 ''UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 20, 2010 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the first UFC event in the Metro Detroit area since '' ...

, beating Gerald Harris by a controversial unanimous decision. The bout was controversial for multiple reasons. First, after dominating the opening round, Falcão sank in a

rear-naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC), also known as hadaka jime (裸絞) in Judo and "lion killer choke (Mata Leão)" in BJJ, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word ''naked'' in this context suggests that, unlike other stra ...

. However, the round buzzer went off at least five seconds early. This was arguably costly for Falcão, as

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at . Out ...

speculated that had the round expired at the correct time, Harris would have succumbed to the submission. Falcão's initial momentum waned, with the third round seeing a virtual stop to his attacks. After a strong crowd reaction, the bout ended with Falcão winning via unanimous decision (29-27, 29–28, 29–28). Following the fight (and criticism from Dana White), ''Falcão'' stated that the lack of action in the third round was because he was waiting for Harris to attack, however he later conceded that White's criticism was fair. The bout's heavy criticism cost Harris his job shortly afterwards. Falcão remarked on his opponent's behavior during the fight, stating " tapped out in three different occasions, hiding it. It was a new thing for me, it was the first time I got three wins on the same bout. On the first round, he tapped out the first time when he was on the four points position, then he tapped out again in the end of the first round, when I got him on the rear-naked choke with his body turned up, and on the third round he tapped out again on a rear-naked choke." Just days later, ''Falcão'' was arrested in Brazil for assaulting a woman outside a nightclub back in 2002. In 2002 ''Falcão'' had been sentenced to 24 months in prison, but following 8 months of the sentence he moved to house arrest on the assurance from his lawyer. ''Falcão'' was expected to return at UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann against

Alessio Sakara Alessio Sakara (born September 2, 1981) is an Italian professional mixed martial artist, former professional boxer and Sanshou kickboxer, currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, Sakara has als ...

. However, in January 2011, he pulled out of the fight due to injury. ''Falcão'' was expected to face

Tom Lawlor Thomas Joseph Lawlor (born May 15, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and podcast host. He is signed to both New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was the inaugural and longest reigning NJPW Strong Openw ...

on 27 August 2011, at

UFC 134 ''UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami'' (also known as ''UFC Rio'') was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 27, 2011 at the HSBC Arena (Rio de Janeiro), HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The ...

. However, the UFC abruptly released him on 11 May. According to one of ''Falcão's'' agents, the move came after fans and media bombarded the UFC with demands that he be removed from the UFC 134 card. In 2013, UFC president Dana White confirmed that he'd cut ''Falcão'' two years earlier because the UFC has zero tolerance for assault on women. He said, "Sexual assault, hitting a woman or anything like that, you're gone from the roster. It doesn't matter if you're a winner or a champion or anything like that. You're gone. Keep your hands off women."

Post-UFC

Falcão's first fight after his release was against fellow Brazilian Julio Cesar Bilik at Centurion MMA 2 on 9 July 2011. Falcão dropped Bilik early on with a clean punch then pouncing on him with a barrage of punches before the referee eventually stepped in to stop the fight giving Falcão the TKO win after just 27 seconds. Falcão faced Dibir Zagirov at Oplot Challenge 100 on 15 February 2014. He won via guillotine choke.

Bellator

In early 2012, Falcão joined the Bellator Season Six Middleweight Tournament. He faced

Norman Paraisy Norman Paraisy (born January 7, 1986) is a French former mixed martial artist, who competed in the middleweight division. He is known for being a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 11 and 23. Paraisy also competed in the Bellator Fighting Cham ...

in the opening round at Bellator 61 and dominated the fight by using his superior striking and scoring multiple takedowns, Falcão won via unanimous decision. In the semifinals round, Maiquel faced Vyacheslav Vasilevsky on 20 April at Bellator 66. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Falcão then faced Andreas Spang in the finals at

Bellator 69 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so ...

. After his win over Vasilevsky, Falcão was involved in a post-fight scuffle with Spang, who was brought into the cage to do a face-off with Falcão for the first time after Spang's fight. When they moved in close to each other, Spang immediately shoved Falcão. Startled by this, the much publicized temperament of Falcão rushed back at him with a knee to the ribcage and then lifted up his hand as if looking to throw a punch. Officials, Bellator commentator/former fighter Jimmy Smith and fight matchmaker Sam Caplan separated the two from one another. After getting rocked in the first round, Falcão opted for a more conservative approach by using his

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

to grind out Spang and he won via unanimous decision. On 25 April 2012, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney announced that Falcão, the winner of the Season Six Middleweight Tournament, would face

Alexander Shlemenko Alexander Pavlovich Shlemenko (, born 20 May 1984) is a Russian mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Middleweight division. He is most notable for fighting for Bellator Fighting Championships, where he is the former Bellator Middlew ...

to crown the company's new Middleweight Champion. The two men met at Bellator 88 on 7 February 2013, for the vacant title. After a back and forth fight, Shlemenko won via knockout in the second round. On 25 July 2013, Bellator released Falcão due to ongoing legal battles in his home country of Brazil. The last straw was a violent brawl outside a gas station (see below).

Post-Bellator

After a year away from the sport, Falcão returned and faced Dibir Zagirov at Oplot Challenge 100 on 15 February 2014. Falcão won via submission in the second round. Falcão then faced top

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

prospect

Mamed Khalidov Mamed Khalidov ( rus, Мамед Магомедович Халидов, Mamed Magomedovich Khalidov, mɐˈmʲɛt maɣɔmʲɛdɔvʲit͡ʂ xɐˈlʲidəf; ; born 17 July 1980) is a Polish mixed martial artist. He is best known for competing in the ...

at KSW 27 on 17 May 2014. Falcão lost the bout via

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armpit lock is very useful; it will immobilize an opponent and pin them on the ground. An armlock t ...

submission in the later stages of round 1. In a rematch from their Bellator 66 bout, Falcão faced Vyacheslav Vasilevsky at Plotforma S-70 5 on 9 August 2014. Falcão would lose via TKO at 0:37 in the first round. After two consecutive losses, Falcão rebounded in a three-fight win streak, with notable wins over Brett Cooper (Bellator veteran), Jesse Taylor (WSOF veteran) and Artur Guseinov (M-1 Global veteran). Falcão faced M-1 Global Middleweight Champion Ramazan Emeev on 4 April 2016, at M-1 Grand Prix 2016. He lost the fight via submission.

Fight Nights Global

In 2016 Falcão signed with

. Falcão defeated

Vladimir Mineev Vladimir Konstantinovich Mineev (; born February 16, 1990) is a Russians, Russian Middleweight Kickboxing, kickboxer and mixed martial artist. Biography Vladimir Mineev was born on February 16, 1990, in the suburbs of Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk ...

on 9 December 2016, at Fight Nights Global 56. Falcao dropped a rematch with Mineev on 21 April 2017, at Fight Nights Global 63 via first-round TKO. Falcao faced Ayub Gimbatov on 4 November 2017 at Fight Nights Global 78. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Falcao was scheduled to face fellow Bellator veteran

Emiliano Sordi Emiliano Sordi (born 15 February 1991) is an Argentine professional mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division. He has also formerly competed for Jungle Fight, Bellator, Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) and the Profe ...

on 18 November 2017 for the Arena Tour Light Heavyweight Championship, but the bout was cancelled.

Gas station altercation

In July 2013, Falcão and a fellow MMA fighter Kauê Mena became involved in a struggle inside a gas station's convenience store in

Balneário Camboriú Balneário Camboriú () is a coastal city in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. The city is built on steep hills which drop down to the sea. It is a popular tourist destination for South Americans, who are drawn to its main ocean b ...

after Falcão assaulted a female customer. Moments after striking the alleged assault victim, a relative of the victim came into the store and attempted to punch Falcão, missing, and Falcão knocked him to the ground. As Falcão attempted to flee the scene, he and Mena were confronted outside the gas station and surrounded by three or four male relatives and friends of the assault victim. As one of the men punched Mena another hit Falcão with a piece of wood from the front, knocking him out. Falcão was then kicked backwards while receiving more strikes with the makeshift weapon. During this time Mena was punched and kicked while he was on the ground unconscious. Mena was in serious condition at an intensive care unit and Falcão had only minor injuries. A few days after the struggle, ''Renovação Fight Team'' coach Marcelo Brigadeiro expelled Falcão and Mena from the team. The fight also led to his release from Bellator. In an interview after the incident, Falcão claimed that the two fighters had come to the gas station from a bar to purchase more alcohol. While inside, Falcão admits to making sexual advances towards the young girl. He then admitted to striking the young girl because, he claims, she made racial slurs directed at him. Falcão later apologized to Mena's family as well as the MMA community. Kauê Mena has all but retired from mixed martial arts as he is unable to even go outside without help.

Personal life and death

Falcão married a Ukrainian woman named Nataliia Tandarina in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

on January 10, 2020. In the early hours of 23 January 2022, Falcão was stabbed outside of a bar in his hometown of Pelotas, Brazil. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead, at the age of 40.

Accomplishments and championships

Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from '' bellātor'', the Latin word for "warrior". Bellato ...

** Bellator Season Six Middleweight Tournament Winner * Serbian Battle Championship **SBC Light Heavyweight Championship (one time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, , Nemanja Uveric , TKO (punches) , Serbian Battle Championship 36 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 ,

Zrenjanin Zrenjanin ( sr-Cyrl, Зрењанин, ; ; ; ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Central Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city urban area has a population of 67,129 inh ...

, Serbia , , - , - , Loss , align=center, 40–19 (1) , Sergey Romanov , Submission (anaconda choke) , Krepost Fighting Championship , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:10 ,

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

, Russia , Middleweight bout. , - , Loss , align=center, 40–18 (1) ,

Igor Pokrajac Igor Pokrajac (born 2 January 1979) is a Croatian mixed martial artist, who formerly competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2003, Pokrajac has also formerly competed for K ...

, TKO (elbows and punches) , Serbian Battle Championship 25 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:24 ,

Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...

, Serbia , , - , Loss , align=center, 40–17 (1) , Evgeny Erokin , TKO (punches) , MFP: Parus Fight Championship , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:06 ,

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

, India , , - , Loss , align=center, 40–16 (1) , Muzaffar Radjabov , TKO (punches) , WTFKF: World Total Kombat Federation , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:33 ,

Bukhara Bukhara ( ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan by population, with 280,187 residents . It is the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and t ...

, Uzbekistan , , - , Win , align=center, 40–15 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , Serbian Battle Championship 21 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:55 ,

Odžaci Odžaci ( sr-cyrl, Оџаци, ; ) is a town and municipality located in the West Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town of Odžaci has a population of 7,556 people, while the population of the municipality of ...

, Serbia , , - , Loss , align=center, 39–15 (1) , Wagner Silva Gomes , Decision (split) , SFT: Standard Fighting Tournament 9 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 39–14 (1) , Marcus Vinicius Fialho de Silveira , KO (punches) , Jorge Velho Team: JVT Championship 14 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:46 ,

Caxias do Sul Caxias do Sul () is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil, situated in the state's mountainous Serra Gaúcha region. It was established by Italian Brazilian, Italian immigrants on June 20, 1890. Today it is the second Largest cities in R ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 39–13 (1) ,

Attila Végh Attila Végh (born August 9, 1985) is a Slovakia, Slovak mixed martial artist who competed in the Light Heavyweight (MMA), Light Heavyweight divisions of Bellator Fighting Championships and Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). He won the Bellator 201 ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Oktagon 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 39–12 (1) , Patrick Quadros , Decision (unanimous) , TAURA MMA: 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:55 ,

Viamão Viamão () is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In size it is the largest municipality in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre and the seventh most populous in the state. The origin of the name Viamão is controversial. The more common ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 38–12 (1) , Ayub Gimbatov , TKO (punches) , Fight Nights Global 78: Tsarev vs. Guseinov , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:12 ,

Samara Samara, formerly known as Kuybyshev (1935–1991), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast in Russia. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with a population of over 1.14 ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 38–11 (1) , Strahinja Gavrilovic , TKO (doctor stoppage) , TKO 40 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 38–10 (1) , Jose Rodrigo Guelke , Decision (unanimous) , Aspera Fighting Championship 55 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Paraná Paraná, Paranã or Parana may refer to: Geology * Paraná Basin, a sedimentary basin in South America Places In Argentina *Paraná, Entre Ríos, a city * Paraná Department, a part of Entre Ríos Province In Brazil *Paraná (state), a state ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 37–10 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , Fight Nights Global 63: Alibekov vs. Khamitov , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:36 ,

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 37–9 (1) ,

, Decision (majority) , Fight Nights Global 56: Falcão vs. Mineev , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 36–9 (1) , Tyago Moreira , Submission (guillotine choke) , Aspera Fighting Championship 43 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:08 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 35–9 (1) ,

Ramazan Emeev Ramazan Dadaevich Emeev (; born May 20, 1987) is a Russian mixed martial artist. He is Combat Sambo World Champion who currently fights in the Welterweight division. He is a former M-1 Global middleweight champion and fought in the Ultimate Fig ...

, Submission (anaconda choke) , M-1 Challenge 65: Emeev vs. Falcão , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:50 ,

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 35–8 (1) , Aziz Karaoglu , TKO (punches) , KSW 33: Khalidov vs. Materla , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 35–7 (1) , Brett Cooper , KO (punch) , KSW 32: Road to Wembley , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:59 , London, England , , - , Win , align=center, 34–7 (1) ,

Jesse Taylor Jesse Taylor (born January 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) and 10th Planet Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt fighter who last competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor from 2006 to 2023, he wa ...

, Submission (guillotine choke) , Arena Tour 5: Falcao vs. Taylor , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:13 ,

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, Argentina , , - , Win , align=center, 33–7 (1) , Artur Guseinov , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Battle of Stars 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:49 ,

Kaspiysk Kaspiysk (; Lezgin: Каспи ; ) is a city in Dagestan, Russia, located on the Caspian Sea, southeast of Makhachkala. The 2010 Russian census recorded the city as being the fourth-largest in Dagestan. It is a working-class satellite city to ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 32–7 (1) , Vyacheslav Vasilevsky , TKO (punches) , Plotforma S-70: 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:37 ,

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 32–6 (1) ,

, Submission (armbar) , KSW 27: Cage Time , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:52 ,

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 32–5 (1) , Dibir Zagirov , Submission (guillotine choke) , Oplot Challenge 100 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:27 ,

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

, Ukraine , , - , Loss , align=center, 31–5 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , Bellator 88 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:18 ,

Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

, United States , For the

Bellator Middleweight Championship Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") was an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded ...

. , - , Win , align=center, 31–4 (1) , Andreas Spang , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Lake Charles, United States , Bellator Season Six Middleweight Tournament Final. , - , Win , align=center, 30–4 (1) , Vyacheslav Vasilevsky , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 66 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, United States , Bellator Season Six Middleweight Tournament Semifinal. , - , Win , align=center, 29–4 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 61 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Bossier City Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had a total ...

, United States , Bellator Season Six Middleweight Tournament Quarterfinal. , - , Win , align=center, 28–4 (1) , Douglas del Rio , TKO (punches) , Apocalypse FC 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 , Passo Fundo, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 27–4 (1) ,

Antônio Braga Neto Antônio Braga Neto (born October 29, 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and grappler. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a gold medalist in both the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship and Pan American Cham ...

, Submission (kimura) , Amazon Forest Combat 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:26 ,

Manaus Manaus () is the List of capitals of subdivisions of Brazil, capital and largest city of the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas. It is the List of largest cities in Brazil, seventh-largest city in Brazil, w ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 27–3 (1) , Julio Cesar Bilik , TKO (punches) , Centurion MMA 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:28 , Itajaí, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 26–3 (1) , Gerald Harris , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Auburn Hills Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern suburb of Detroit, Auburn Hills is located about north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 24,360. Auburn Hills is home to ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–3 (1) , Wendres Carlos da Silva , TKO (punches) , Arena Gold Fights 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 24–3 (1) , Daniel Ludtke , TKO (knee and punches) , Match Point Sports Aquafit Fight Championship 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:52 ,

Pelotas Pelotas () is a Brazilian city and Municipalities of Brazil, municipality (''município''), the fourth Largest cities in Rio Grande do Sul by population, most populous in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, after Porto Alegre, Caxias do Su ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 23–3 (1) , Ricardo Silva , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Blackout FC 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:12 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 22–3 (1) , Arimarcel Santos , TKO (punches) , WFC: Pozil Challenge , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:26 , Gramado, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 21–3 (1) , Eli Reger , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Nitrix Show Fight 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:29 ,

Joinville Joinville () is the largest city in Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in the Southern Brazil, Southern Region of Brazil. It is the third largest municipality in the southern region of Brazil, after the much larger state capitals of Curitib ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 20–3 (1) , Allan Froes , TKO (punches) , Golden Fighters 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 , Novo Hamburgo, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 19–3 (1) , Nelson Martins , KO (punches) , Floripa Fight 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Florianópolis Florianópolis () is the capital and second largest city of the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in the South Region, Brazil, South region of Brazil. The city encompasses Santa Catarina Island and surrounding small islands, as we ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–3 (1) , Daniel Ludtke , TKO (punches) , Clube da Luta 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:12 , Novo Hamburgo, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 18–2 (1) , Romulo Nascimento , KO (punches) , Paranagua Fight 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:10 ,

Paranaguá Paranaguá (Tupi language, Tupi, 'Great Round Sea') is a city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Brazil. Founded in 1648, it is Paraná's oldest city. It is known for the Port of Paranaguá, which serves as both the sea link for Curitiba, ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2 (1) , Rodrigo Freitas , TKO (punches) , Predador FC 11 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:24 , Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 (1) , Edson Franca , Submission (punches) , Predador FC 10: Kamae , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 (1) , Josue Verde , TKO (punches) , Floripa Fight 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–2 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , Predador FC 9: Welterweight Grand Prix , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , NC , align=center, 14–1 (1) ,

Fabiano Scherner Fabiano Scherner (born June 30, 1972) is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu ranking system#Black belt, black belt. He has fought in Cage Rage, International Fig ...

, No Contest , Desafio: Fight Show , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1 , Reinaldo Samurai , KO (punch) , Bage Open Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:00 , Bage, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 , Daniel Barbosa , KO (knee and punches) , Desafio: Fight Show , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Alex Moura , TKO (punches) , Full Fight: Open Vale Tudo , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 , Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Lucio Aguiar , KO (punches) , Storm Samurai , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Leandro Gordo , KO (punches) , Desafio: Fight Show , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:15 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Laerte Costa Silva de Oliveira , TKO (submission to punches) , G1: Open Fight 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:30 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , Mariliense MMA Circuit 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:46 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Felipe Miranda , KO (punches and elbows) , Super Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Silverio Bueno , KO (punches) , Paranaguá Fight 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:42 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Claudio Mattos , KO (punches) , Tsunamy 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Rogerio Farias , KO (knees and punches) , Coliseu Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Anderson Brito , KO (punch) , Tsunamy 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Josimar Lira Rodrigues , Decision (unanimous) , Tsunamy 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 15:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Andre Rocha , TKO (punches) , Camaqua Open Vale Tudo , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:00 ,

Camaquã Camaquã is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The municipality contains part of the Camaquã State Park, which was created in 1975. See also * List of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul This is a list of the munici ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Guilherme Freitas , KO (knees) , Piratini Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:30 , Piratini, Brazil ,

References

External links

UFC Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Falcao, Maiquel 1981 births 2022 deaths Brazilian male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Pelotas Martial artists from Rio Grande do Sul People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Deaths by stabbing in Brazil People murdered in Brazil Brazilian murder victims Martial artists from Curitiba 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen