When Holly Holm's coach was arrested for alleged sexual assault on a student

Holly Holm at UFC Singapore Fight Night
Holly Holm at UFC Singapore Fight Night

Holly Holm made an impressive comeback with a unanimous decision win over Yana Santos at UFC San Antonio this past Saturday.

Holly Holm is among the many decorated fighters that Albuquerque's Jackson Wink MMA Academy has created, including Jon Jones. While the academy has a spectacular track record of making combat sports athletes, one of the affiliated coaches does not have a scot-free reputation.

Rafael 'Barata' de Freitas, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach for Holm and other Jackson Wink fighters, was arrested in 2020 on charges of third-degree criminal sexual penetration. The arrest was executed after a female student accused him of drugging her and forcing himself on her while she was passed out.

The accuser turned over a video recording of a home security camera that captured the two parties interacting as well as the alleged assault. As per a report by MMA Fighting, the detective investigating the case deduced that de Freitas had put something in the woman's drink and performed sexual acts after she went limp.

According to the Albuquerque Journal, de Freitas was listed as a coach on Jackson Wink's website but was later removed after the news broke. The gym's spokesperson James Hallinan told MMA Fighting that he was never an employee of Jackson Wink, even though he trained several long-time members of the gym.

De Freitas pleaded not guilty to the charge, claiming that the sexual encounter was completely consensual. However, he did admit remorse for "making a terrible error in his marriage and towards his wife."

The charges were later dropped by prosecutors as there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the case.

De Freitas cornered Holly Holm for her fight against Irene Aldana. He is also an alum of The Ultimate Fighter season 18.


Holly Holm UFC Comments: What did 'The Preacher's Daughter' say after the latest fight?

Holly Holm got quite a bit of praise, especially from the conservative fanbase, for her recent comments during the post-fight octagon interview at UFC San Antonio.

She called for the protection of children against "sexualization," supposedly in modern media:

"I think it's just really sad the sexualization of our chidren. We need to protect them. Protect the children please.... Do anything to protect them."

Check out the post-fight octagon interview below:

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She did not elaborate on the matter. However, many thought it was in connection with the recent conversation around children being present at drag shows and readings.

UFC lightweight Michael Chandler seemed to have a similar opinion. He thanked Holm for her stance while slamming Amazon Prime's latest commercial in the same tweet.

The advertisement Chandler finds "gender-bending" and "confusing" is Prime's newest worldwide brand campaign, 'Tache' by Olivia Wilde, where a young woman chooses not to shave off her facial hair and embrace it like her heroes Frida Kahlo and Freddie Mercury.

Check out the commercial below:

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