ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Gracie Barra New Mexico Instructor Rafael “Barata” De Freitas (5-0) has been signed to the Legacy Fighting Championship’s Flyweight division. The Carlos Gracie Black Belt will take a perfect MMA record into the cage as well as a World Championship level of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Four of Freitas’ five victories have come by way of submission and three of those four submissions have come in the first round.
“It feels great to be signed by the Legacy Fighting Championships,” said Barata. “The LFC has been growing a lot and today, besides UFC and Strikeforce, LFC is one of the biggest MMA organizations in the country.“
Freitas last fought on Sept. 11, 2011 where he caught Eric Buck with a Guillotine Choke at 2:12 of the second round at the Cherokee Street – United MMA Bash in Albuquerque, N.M.
A veteran of MMA and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for over 15 years now, Freitas has been waiting for the call of a big-name promoter.
“It means a lot to me and also to my trainers of course, “said Fretias. “All the hard work, training, and dedicating to this life style is paying off. Today we know that we are moving up to another level and it’s good because makes you to start to believe that you can really make your dream come true.”
On Feb. 20, 2009 Freitas baffled the Global Fury Cagefighting amazed the crowd when he pulled off his signature move, the “Barataplata,” forcing Joseph Salazar to quickly tap at 1:04 of the first round.
“I’m planning to show the world how good of an entertainer I am,” said Freitas. “I wanna make sure everybody will remember of my name and get excited to watch me. I want to show that I’m one of the best fighters in the world.“
Fans can follow Barata on Twitter, @Baratafreitas.
