Fighter in Brazil murdered in gym by cop
“Luiz de Franca… was brutally murdered this Monday morning in Natal. He was only 25 and never got himself in trouble. He was a good kid.”
Luiz de Franca, a Brazilian 3-0 welterweight, was shot dead Monday morning inside a BJJ and fitness Alta Performance gym in Natal, Brazil. Alta Performance houses Kimura Nova Uniao, an affiliate of the famed Nova Uniao.
Guilherme Cruz has the story for MMAFighting.
The main suspect in the murder is a police lieutenant who used to train at the Alta Performance gym, but he was excluded 15 days ago because “he was too violent.” The local police told G1 that the crime was caught on tape, but they have yet to detail if it was actually a cop that killed the 25-year-old MMA fighter.
Alta Performance is located 13 miles away from the arena that will host a UFC Fight Night card headlined by Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson on March 23.
De Franca started his MMA career as an amateur in early 2012 at the Tuff-N-Uff cage, training with Wanderlei Silva is Las Vegas.
“I’m really sad,” Wanderlei Silva posted on Facebook. “Luiz de Franca, who trained with us in Las Vegas for almost a year, was brutally murdered this Monday morning in Natal. He was only 25 and never got himself in trouble. He was a good kid.”
MMAJunkie provided further details.
Police chief Silvio Fernando told Globo that a police officer suspected of the killing gave an incriminating statement.
Iranildo Felix, a lieutenant in the military police, couldn’t account for his activity Monday and had a weak alibi during questioning, said Fernando.
Franca, 25, was hit multiple times by a .40-caliber pistol from an assailant alleged to be a former student of the academy.
Two weeks prior, the student had been expelled from the academy for getting into street fights, said Nova Uniao head trainer Andre Pederneiras.
Pederneiras said that Franca trained with the man, but chose to expel him for fighting and returned his monthly membership payment.
The assailant reportedly walked up to the academy, fired several shots on the academy’s doorstep, killing Franca on the spot, and then fled on a motorcycle with another person.