Report: UFC fighter Alex Oliveira eludes police after alleged assault of ex-wife
UFC welterweight Alex "Cowboy" Oliveira is reportedly being sought by police in Rio de Janeiro after allegedly assaulting his ex-wife and taking their five-month-old son with him on his motorcycle.
Reports by multiple outlets in Brazil, including G1, UOL, and ESPN Brazil, indicated that Oliveira was drunk and attacked his ex-wife on Saturday while she was visiting his parents with their five-month-old son. He allegedly punched her and pulled her hair before leaving without a helmet on their son on his motorcycle.
“According to his former partner, he appeared to be drunk and wanted to take the child and leave with the motorcycle,” police chief Andre Lourenco said in the UOL report. “They started an argument, and he would have attacked her with punches to the head and slaps. His parents intervened, put her in the house, but he, very agitated, would have broken the room’s door and attacked her again.
“She took the key off his motorcycle, but he recovered it, took the child and drove away. The police was called in, located the child in a nearby property with his sister, and he wasn’t there. He hasn’t been located until now.”
Oliveira reportedly left the child at the home of his sister, before disappearing.
An unnamed member of Oliveira's team told MMA Junkie that the news reports were not accurate and that Oliveira was planning to meet with police to give his side of the story, although the team member also said that police were not searching for Oliveira.
The fighter was also reported as being involved in a drunken altercation with a security guard at a party prior to the alleged incident with his ex-wife.
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“The story being circulated in the media about the incident involving UFC athlete Alex Oliveira does not reflect the reality of the facts,” the statement to MMA Junkie read. “The news that there is an arrest warrant issued for him is false. He will, along with his lawyer, meet with the precinct chief in charge to give his side of what happened in a timely manner.”
The 31-year-old Oliveira (19-7-1, 2NC) is coming off of back-to-back losses including a unanimous-decision loss to Mike Perry at UFC on ESPN+ 8 on April 27 in Florida. Though he has long hung around the Top 15 rankings, Oliveira has yet to make a serious run at a UFC title, having lost three of his five most recent bouts.
