Former UFC Brazil head Giovani Decker says lack of autonomy, treatment of Brazilian fighters led to resignation

More than a month after his sudden departure from the world’s top MMA promotion, Giovani Decker – who served as the UFC’s senior vice president and general manager of Brazil – has announced his reasons for leaving.

Decker on Friday took to Instagram to offer his side of the story.

“Today, I officialize the rumors that were ‘leaked’ in the media on Sept. 30 that I’m no longer in charge of the UFC in Brazil,” Decker wrote in his native Portuguese. “The reasons are many, but I’ll cite as the main ones the lack of autonomy to perform a job well done and the latest decisions involving Brazilian fighters about to fight for belts.”

Queridos : hoje oficializo os rumores da informação " vazada " na mídia em 30/09/2016 de minha saída do comando do UFC no Brasil. Os motivos são muitos , mas citarei como principais a falta de autonomia para fazer meu trabalho bem feito , e as últimas decisões envolvendo lutadores brasileiros em vias de disputa de Cinturão . Agradeço muito a oportunidade a mim dada pelo UFC , foram incríveis 18 meses à frente da organização no país , onde entre várias realizações , tive a oportunidade e prazer de liderar o UFC 198 , o maior evento de MMA da história do Brasil , com 15 mil pessoas na pesagem e mais de 45 mil pessoas no evento , o terceiro maior da história do UFC. Agradeço muito aos atletas que sempre tiveram um carinho especial comigo , entendendo que eu estava lá para ajudá-los e orientá-los …saibam todos vcs que fui eu que aprendi demais com todos vcs ! Aos fãs do UFC meu muito obrigado pela energia sempre positiva ao meu trabalho e a minha pessoa … guardarei cada momento destes como únicos na minha vida ! Saibam todos que o MMA ganhou um fã , um praticante ( bem desajeitado é verdade , kkkk ) e que estará sempre torcendo para este esporte , para o UFC , para os lutadores em geral e para os lutadores brasileiros em especial ! TMJ SEMPRE ! Osss #MMAMEUESPORTEPARASEMPRE #MUITOOBRIGADO

A photo posted by Giovani Decker (@giovanidecker) on Oct 28, 2016 at 3:30pm PDT

Decker joined the UFC in March 2015 after a career in the footwear industry, serving as the president of ASICS Brazil. He succeeded Grace Tourinho, who departed the company in October 2014 after 11 months at the helm of the promotion’s Brazil office. His final event at the helm was September’s UFC Fight Night 95, which saw Brazilian star Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino down Lina Lansberg in the second round at Brasilia’s Nilson Nelson Gymnasium.

“I really appreciate the opportunity given to me by the UFC,” Decker wrote. “I had an incredible 18 months as head of the promotion in the country, where, among other accomplishments, I had the opportunity and the pleasure to lead UFC 198, the biggest MMA event in the history of Brazil, with 15,000 people at the weigh-ins and over 45,000 people at the event, the third biggest in the history of the UFC. I thank the athletes who always had a special kindness toward me, understanding I was there to help them, to guide them. Know that I’ve learned a lot from all of you!

“To the UFC fans, my thank you for the positive energy toward me and my work. I will cherish every one of these moments as one-of-a-kind in my life! Know that MMA has got a fan, a practitioner (though quite clumsy, it’s true) who will always be rooting for this sport, for the UFC, for the fighters in general and for the Brazilian fighters in particular.”

Decker was passionate in looking to push Brazilian fighters to the spotlight, insisting behind the scenes that top-ranked athletes from the country such as Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Demian Maia deserved title shots over their contemporaries, and that former heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum and current interim featherweight champ Jose Aldo were deserving of instant rematches after losing their belts to Stipe Miocic and Conor McGregor, respectively.

None of those requests were granted.

Rising Brazilian bantamweight Thomas Almeida (20-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) was one of the athletes Decker pegged for future success in the promotion. Almeida lamented Decker’s departure but wished him the best in future endeavors.

“I was very sad, because I know he’s a great professional,”Almeida said. “He does a great job – apart from the relationship we ended up forming. But if he wasn’t happy and it wasn’t working out, I really like him and I want him to do well. Let’s see what happens moving forward.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.