The UFC star was accused of domestic violence last year by his ex-wife (although Oliveira also states that they are still together and she is pregnant, while MMA Fighting refers to her as his ex-wife), but Oliveira says the stories that have circulated about the incident aren’t true.
“We had an argument, she and I, like every couple has,” said Oliveira to MMA Fighting. “But I’m a famous guy in my hometown. If I threw a punch on a woman, I (would have killed her), so the story is wrong. I apologize to everyone, but it wasn’t like that, you know? They told the wrong story, and I felt really bad.”
Mariana Cassiano, who is Oliveira’s wife/ex-wife, wouldn’t file a report against Oliveira, despite the rumors that he was “pulling Cassiano’s hair, punching her, and also breaking doors and windows in their house.”
Oliveira also believes that his celebrity status made it easier for people to take shots at the UFC star.
“That was a mistake,” Oliveira said. “Neighbors called the police. I had already left. She didn’t go to the police to report; she was taken there. She didn’t want to, you know? I’m a famous guy, so it’s easy to come at me. But nobody knows the whole story. But we’re together, yes, and she’s pregnant again, thank God. We’re very happy. Like a normal family. I’m happy because she’s the woman I love. She’s always been by my side. She’s the love of my life. With everything that happened, she’s been by my side the entire time while our family – both my and her side – judged us, so we shut the doors to everyone and lived our lives. We’re very happy. I tell her how happy I am. I have no words for this woman. She’s the kind of woman that every man would like to have.”
UFC 248 takes place on Saturday, March 7 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada with Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
