Rafael de
Freitas, a former competitor on “The Ultimate Fighter 18” and a
prominent jiu-jitsu instructor in Albuquerque, N.M., has been
accused of drugging and raping a client, according to a report from
the
Albuquerque Journal.
De Freitas, who is known as “Barata,” has been jailed and charged
with criminal sexual penetration stemming from a Nov. 7 incident
after a female client captured the alleged incident on a security
camera in her living room. Gracie is a primary instructor at Gracie
Barra New Mexico Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Albuquerque and was
part of Holly Holm’s
team as recently as the former bantamweight champion’s victory over
Irene
Aldana at UFC on ESPN 16 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 3, according to
posts on de Freitas’ Instagram page.
According to the Journal report, de Freitas was also listed as an
instructor on the Jackson-Wink MMA website as recently as Saturday
morning before the page was removed from the site.
“All I’ve been told is he is not an employee of Jackson-Wink
Academy and he never has been,” Jackson-Wink spokesman James
Hallinan told the Journal. “If the website hasn’t been updated,
it’s in the process right now.
According to a police report obtained by the Albuquerque Journal,
de Freitas is seen “possibly” dropping a substance into the woman’s
orange juice while she is in the bathroom. The woman, who had been
taking lessons from de Freitas for several years, had the
instructor in her home to get a massage to alleviate cramping in
her legs. The victim claims she began “feeling sleepy” and “quickly
passed out” as de Freitas began the massage.
When the woman awoke, she was naked from the waist down. When she
messaged de Freitas to express her embarrassment, he responded,
“Yeah, you were fine don’t feel this way at all you’re good.”
According to security footage given to the police, the woman’s legs
appear to get “heavy” during the massage and de Freitas is seen
removing her shorts, where he allegedly performs oral sex on her
while she is passed out. The instructor also appears to rub the
woman’s “limp” hand on his genitals before leaving. The woman
remains motionless on the couch for 50 minutes before getting
up.
The victim told police that de Freitas is flirtatious with her and
other clients and that she sometimes “found his behavior
inappropriate” but there was never any romantic involvement between
the two.
The 37-year-old de Freitas enjoyed some success competing in MMA
from 2007 to 2014. He compiled a 6-1 mark that included a draw
against former World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Antonio
Banuelos and a loss to UFC vet Jordan
Espinosa in Legacy Fighting Championship and suffered a
second-round TKO defeat to Cody
Bollinger in the elimination round of “TUF 18.”