Fighter Accuses Former Coach of Multi-Million-Dollar Fraud
In 2024, former UFC champion Jessica Andrade publicly accused her former coach and manager Gilliard Parana of mishandling or taking about $2 million from her finances. Parana denied wrongdoing. A later report says Andrade decided not to move forward with the lawsuit; no court finding of fraud is reported in the sources cited here.
What Andrade alleged
Andrade told MMA Fighting in September 2024 that money had been transferred through TransferWise to people she did not know and that she had lacked access to the accounts while Parana handled her finances. She estimated the disputed amount at $2 million. These were Andrade’s allegations, not a court’s findings.
Parana’s response
Parana denied stealing money. In a statement to MMA Fighting, he said Andrade had access to her accounts and that he acted as an adviser rather than managing her finances. The outlet published both accounts in its September 2024 report.
Later update
In a July 2026 follow-up, MMA Fighting reported that Andrade had decided not to move forward with the lawsuit. That update does not describe a court ruling or establish whether any civil claim was formally dismissed. The available reporting therefore supports describing this as a dispute involving allegations and a denial, not as proven embezzlement.
For athletes, the episode is a reminder to keep direct visibility into accounts and obtain independent advice when someone else helps manage finances. That general lesson should be kept separate from the disputed facts in Andrade and Parana’s case.
Sources: MMA Fighting’s 2024 report with both parties’ statements and its 2026 follow-up.
Sources
Tags: MMA
