MMA coach Rafael 'Barata' de Freitas pleads not guilty to sexual assault
The lawyer for a well-known mixed martial arts coach says a video that triggered the coach's sexual assault arrest actually shows he did not commit a crime.
Rafael "Barata" de Freitas, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach for prominent UFC fighters such as Holly Holm and Michelle Waterson, pleaded not guilty to a charge of third-degree criminal sexual penetration Wednesday in Albuquerque (New Mexico) Metropolitan Court, according to court records.
De Freitas, who is married, was arrested last weekend after allegations that he drugged and sexually assaulted a student at her home, with the alleged attack caught on video. He is still being held in custody without bond.