MMA veteran Rafael Freitas denies sexual assault charges, will fight case

Jailed MMA veteran Rafael Freitas denies accusations of sexual assault and will fight charges against him in court.

Freitas, a Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu head instructor in New Mexico,  denies charges of criminal sexual penetration from an alleged Nov. 7 incident in which Freitas was accused of drugging and raping a client. Bowles Law Firm, which is representing Freitas in the case, spoke on behalf of its client in a statement issued Wednesday.

Bowles Law Firm said Freitas acknowledges a sexual encounter with the alleged victim, but says the encounter was consensual and claims to have evidence supporting its case.

The firm’s statement is below:

We represent Rafael de Freitas Barata, a well loved and very accomplished jujitsu practitioner. To date, the public has received one-sided reports of sexual assault based on the word of the alleged victim and a video, which no news agency or the public has seen. We have now watched the video. Let us be clear: These charges are false. The video proves Mr. de Freitas’ innocence of a crime. We will present evidence that she invited Mr. de Freitas over that morning in texts, poured alcohol and had liquid THC, and her actions and responses during the video reflect a completely consensual encounter. Her statements to police also show that she had had motives to bring these false charges. Mr. de Freitas willingly admits and is remorseful about making a terrible error in his marriage and towards his wife. But he is absolutely innocent of any criminal sexual assault and his and his family’s name and reputation have been falsely maligned. We are asking everyone to reserve judgment until all of the evidence is presented in Court.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by the Albuquerque Journal,  Freitas’ alleged sexual assault was caught on a security camera in the home of the alleged victim.

The police report stated that detectives observing the security tape saw Freitas “possibly drop something into the woman’s orange juice while she was in the bathroom, as his hand makes a ‘flicking’ motion over the glass.”

Afterward, detectives allege Freitas removed the woman’s shorts and appeared to “force oral sex on her while she is passed out,” then later rubbing her hand on his genitals. According to the report, detectives stated the woman then “stayed motionless on the couch for 50 minutes before sitting up.”

Freitas was in the corner of former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm for her October win over Irene Aldana at UFC on ESPN 16 in Abu Dhabi and, according to the newspaper, was previously listed as an instructor on the Jackson Wink MMA official website. However, any such reference has since been removed, and a spokesman for the gym denied any association with Freitas.