Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Strawweight fighter Livinha Souza was arrested on Thurs., Jan. 23, 2025, in Araraquara, Brazil, after being accused of being involved in drug trafficking and illegal possession of a weapon.
According to the Brazilian police, they received an anonymous phone call and then went to her house with a search warrant on Thurs. morning to find a .380 pistol, 59 bullets, marijuana, and anabolic steroids.
After finding everything at her home, Souza was arrested.
Souza’s lawyer, Glaucio Dalponte Mattiole, provided a statement to MMAFighting and also declared that Souza denies involvement with drug trafficking.
“The search and seizure operation carried out yesterday at the home of Livia was based on alleged anonymous complaints. During the operation, a quantity of marijuana was seized, a substance that she uses, as publicly declared previously,” Mattiole wrote. “It’s worth noting that Livia was the first UFC fighter in Brazil to be sponsored by a CBD company and is a public defender of the legalization of marijuana. Lívia is at the disposal of the courts and has already provided the necessary clarifications, reaffirming her interest in demonstrating that she is a user of the substance.
“Regarding the firearm mentioned, we clarify that it was acquired in the past. However, due to a series of setbacks, it has not yet been possible to regularize its possession. The fighter will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities, trusting that the investigation of the facts will allow us to unequivocally conclude that there are no irregularities or crimes attributed to her by the Civil Police.”
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Souza (14-4) was released from UFC after going 3-3 in the promotion. “The Brazilian Gangsta” scored wins in her first two UFC fights over Alex Chambers and Sarah Frota but then went 1-3 in her last four bouts, losing to Brianna Van Buren, Amanda Lemos via TKO (watch highlights), and Randa Markos in her final UFC fight.
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This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
