More on De Barros.

Former UFC title contender deported after serving prison for sex crimes in Clackamas


Hermes Franca De Barros, a former Ultimate Fighting Championship title contender convicted of attempted child sex abuse, was removed Tuesday by U.S. immigration authorities. De Barros is seen here Monday on the tarmac at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, escorted by ICE officers before boarding a commercial flight bound for Brazil. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
Print By Rick Bella | rbella@oregonian.com
on April 23, 2014 at 11:04 AM

A former Ultimate Fighting Championship title contender convicted of attempting to sexually abuse a child has been deported to Brazil by federal authorities.

Hermes Franca De Barros, who formerly ran a martial arts academy in Clackamas, was escorted by U.S. Immigration and Customs agents onto a plane leaving from Seattle Tuesday.


Hermes Franca de Barros
Clackamas County Jail

De Barros, 39, was charged in 2011 with sexually abusing a student at his Team Hermes Franca Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy. He turned himself in after an arrest warrant was issued.

In 2012, he pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree sexual abuse of a girl under 14 and to second-degree unlawful sexual penetration. A Clackamas County circuit judge sentenced him to 42 months in prison.

Last month, after completing his prison sentence, De Barros was transferred to federal custody at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. Although he was lawful permanent resident, a federal immigration judge ordered him to be deported.

According to Department of Homeland Security records, De Barros was first lawfully admitted to the U.S. in 2005. He received lawful permanent resident status in 2007.

Since 2001, De Barros, who holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, competed in various mixed martial arts organizations, later establishing himself as an Ultimate Fighting Championship contender. In 2007, he fought for UFC lightweight title, but lost by unanimous decision. Afterward, the California State Athletic Commission announced that De Barros had tested positive for a banned steroid in a post-fight drug test. He was suspended from competing in California for a year and fined $2,500.

When arrested, De Barros was living in Jupiter, Fla.

Last year, ICE conducted 368,644 removals nationwide. Eighty-two percent of individuals removed from the interior of the United States previously had been convicted of a criminal offense.

-- Rick Bella