Soul Fighters black belt Hugo Marques is under investigation by the CBJJ (Brazilian representative federation of the IBJJF) for an incident at the recent Rio BJJ Pro. 

The competitor, who received his black belt in June after winning the IBJJF Worlds as a brown belt, was involved in an altercation with a security guard at the event and was disqualified from competing in the middleweight division for which he had signed up. 

The incident occurred on the opening day of the two-day tournament, one day before Marques was scheduled to compete. 

"I was at the championship and I went to the scale in the bullpen to check my weight. There was no information that I wasn't allowed in, nor security at the door," says Marques. 

"When I had already finished weighing myself, one of the security guards approached me in an intimidating way to throw me out me, without even letting me get my sneakers or my cellphone. Seeing that the security guard was behaving this way, his colleague took him away and accompanied me to the exit, where I apologized for the misunderstanding.

"Shortly afterwards I was called by those responsible for the event and informed that they would disqualify me, as they understood that was had happened had been misconduct on my part." 

When contacted by FloGrappling about the incident, the IBJJF stated that they were aware of the situation but could not comment while an investigation was underway. 

Marques, who holds IBJJF World titles as blue and brown belt and a World No-Gi title as a purple belt, potentially faces a suspension depending on the results of the investigation. 

"I am a professional athlete, I've competed in IBJJF and CBJJ championships since I was a blue belt, and today, as a black belt, I feel hurt by what happened because I have sponsors and investors who expect results," says Marques. "I've always conducted myself professionally, I have no history of misconduct over seven years competing."