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MMA Fighting reports that the police in former lightweight and welterweight champion BJ Penn's home town have begun a sexual-assault investigation of allegations made against the fighter by the girlfriend of the former editor of his website.
"Hilo (Hawaii) Police Department has launced a second-degree assault investigation into the UFC legend stemming from allegations made by the girlfriend of a former employee," the report reads.
"The alleged victim filed an incident report in February regarding the matter in Delaware County (Ohio), where she currently lives. Hilo PD public information officer Chris Loos confirmed to MMA Fighting on Monday that the Hilo PD received a hard copy of that incident report last week."
Penn said through a statement two months ago that the allegations made public by his former website editor were attempts at extorting him. No charges have been filed against Penn on this matter, yet, as far as we know.
When the UFC makes its long-awaited debut in New York, there’s a good chance former titleholder Ronda Rousey will be part of the card.
Earlier this month, MMA’s longtime ban in New York was lifted, and UFC officials quickly announced a Nov. 12 pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Many fighters, especially those who hail from New York, have been stumping for a slot on the card, which comes on the 23rd anniversary of the first UFC event. But UFC President Dana White said one of the organization’s biggest stars – former women’s bantamweight champion Rousey (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) – could be a central piece of the lineup.
“(Rousey) definitely is part of the discussion,” White told ESPN’s “Beadle & Shelburne Show.” “She will fight whoever has that belt when she comes back.”
A lawsuit filed by former UFC light heavyweight champion and current Bellator star Jacob "Tito" Ortiz against veteran MMA promoter and manager Wayne Harriman in Clark County, Nevada District Court last October for "breach of contract" is now progressing to the discovery phase.
In a complaint filed on October 22, 2015 by Tito Ortiz's attorneys, Martin Little and Taylor Waite, it is claimed that on July 19, 2011 Ortiz loaned Wayne Harriman "a sum of money in excess of Ten Thousand and no/100 dollars" (according to the March 30th, 2016 Commissioner's decision on request for exemption the amount was $125,000.) Harriman is alleged by Ortiz to have signed a "Simple Promissory Note (the "Note") wherein he expressly agreed to pay back the Loan, plus interest, by no later than August 1, 2012."
C light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, who pulled out of the UFC 197 main event on April 23 in Las Vegas, is expected to be able to fight again by around August or September according to a source close to the fighter.
Cormier suffered a lower left leg injury in training on March 25. It was described as a freak injury doing light kickboxing training, which was diagnosed several days later through an MRI as being a complete middle substance rupture of the interosseous membrane from the fibula. FOX Sports' Damon Martin first reported the injury news.
No surgery will be needed for the injury and the healing time is expected to take four to eight weeks. Doctors believed there was a chance he may heal sooner than that. The injury should have no long-term effects.
Cris Cyborg has been eyeing a matchup with former UFC champion Ronda Rousey for years, and now that Rousey is no longer the titleholder, Cyborg believes it could finally come to fruition.
With MMA legal in New York State now, Cyborg believes New York would be the perfect location for her long-awaited fight with Rowdy.
Jon Jones has a hearing set.
The UFC star will go before a judge at 8 a.m. Thursday morning in New Mexico Second Judicial District Court in his probation violation case, a court spokesperson said Wednesday.
Jones will remain in custody at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center until then. He turned himself in around 10 a.m. local time Tuesday. No bail has been set, as is protocol in a probation violation case. Jones will be in custody until he sees judge Michael Martinez on Thursday when terms of release are discussed.
Only one camera will be allowed in the courtroom for the hearing. Albuquerque news station KOB has been the designated party and will likely air the proceeding on KOB.com, the spokesperson said.
Jon Jones was given five traffic tickets, including one for drag racing, Thursday night after being pulled over. On Monday, the Albuquerque Police Department released the officer's body cam video of the incident.
In the video, an angry Jones vehemently denies that he was drag racing and disputes the other tickets as well. Jones was also given citations for an ordinance against a modified exhaust (vehicle disturbance), an illegible license plate, unable to maintain a traffic lane and exhibition driving. The former UFC light heavyweight champion accused the officer of "harassing" him.
"I cannot wait for you to prove that I was drag racing, because I know for a fact that I wasn't," Jones said. "But nice try."
Jones called the cop an "absolute f*cking liar" and said both he and the officer know that Jones was not drag racing. The officer said Jones was "lucky" that he's not going to jail for reckless driving.
Russian Promotion Absolute Combat Berkut hosting it's 32nd event "Battle of Lions" is available to watch on YouTube here:
Commentary from Luke 'Bigslow' Barnatt & Steve Cook-Abbott
Once upon a time, a very long time ago, there was a land called the WEC. And in this land lived a man. But he was not just an ordinary man. No, far from it. He was a man of action. His name was Chan Sung Jung.
Of course, Chan Sung Jung made it to the UFC as well, fighting four times for the larger Zuffa platform and making his way all the way to a title fight against former divisional kingpin Jose Aldo. Chan Sung lost to Aldo, dislocating his shoulder in the process. He hasn't returned to the cage since.
EA Sports apologized to Khabib Nurmagomedov, a devout Muslim, following a religious blunder that gave undefeated fighter a Christian post-fight celebration.
On Sunday evening, Khabib took offence to the new EA Sports UFC game and the way his character was designed to celebrate a victory and immediately took to social media to criticize EA Sports for their error. Following a victory, his character, much like the majority of those in the game, gestured in the form of a cross.
Jason Miller is once again in trouble with the law. And this time, it looks like he'll be staying in jail awhile.
The 35-year old resident of Mission Viejo, Calif. is in custody on $1,000,000 bail at the Orange County Men's Central Jail in Santa Ana, according to Orange County public records.
TMZ.com reported Wednesday that Miller, the former Strikeforce and UFC middleweight contender, was arrested Tuesday for a January incident in which he allegedly vandalized a tattoo parlor with graffiti.
AXS TV FIGHTS on Wednesday announced renowned combat sports personality and broadcaster Mauro Ranallo will be the new host of INSIDE MMA, the longest running and only independent MMA news series on television, beginning Friday, March 25.
A veteran broadcaster with over 30 years’ experience, Ranallo will bring his energetic broadcasting style and opinionated views on the world of combat sports to INSIDE MMA alongside UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten and correspondent Ron Kruck Friday nights at 9:30 p.m. PT/12:30 a.m. ET following AXS TV FIGHTS’ weekly live MMA and Muay Thai broadcasts.
Ranallo is best known for his play-by-play commentary for prestigious organizations such as Pride Fighting Championships, which he called alongside his new co-host Rutten for several years; Showtime Boxing, where he recently called the international feed of the historic Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight; and Strikeforce, which was home to MMA superstars like Ronda Rousey, Daniel Cormier and Luke Rockhold. In 2015, Ranallo helped AXS TV launch its hit pro wrestling series NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING calling matches alongside former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett, before signing with WWE as the new voice of Smackdown.
Perhaps the biggest loser from the madness of UFC 196, at least in a financial sense, is someone who didn't fight at all.
UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos lost his golden ticket to the Conor McGregor show when he dropped out with a broken foot less than two weeks before the event. And after seeing his replacement, Nate Diaz, shatter the illusion of the unbeatable Irishman, dos Anjos' takeaways are twofold: first, that his big payday is likely gone for good, and second, that he could've done far worse things to McGregor had he not gotten injured.
"I've been around the game for a long time, 12 years, and I never cancelled any fight due to injury," dos Anjos said Monday on The MMA Hour. "I always show up, but unfortunately for this fight, I broke my foot, man. A lot of people are making fun of it, and I don't like to make fun of people's injuries. I think we are fighters, so everybody is going to get injured one day. So, unfortunately I lost my payday, but I think everything is God's plan for my life. I believe in that.
When Holly Holm knocked out Ronda Rousey to capture the UFC women's bantamweight title in November, UFC president Dana White joked that he and UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta should have their promoters' licenses taken away if they booked anything other than an immediate rematch.
Of course, those statements ended up being premature, considering that Holm is just days out from defending her title for the first time against Miesha Tate at UFC 196, but that doesn't mean White has to be happy about it.
"I'll tell you this, to be brutally honest with you, as a fan, I love her attitude and I love that. As the business side, I absolutely hate it," White said Thursday on The Jim Rome Show. "Holly vs. Ronda is the biggest fight in UFC history, without a doubt. I think this thing does close to two million buys, and she's going in Saturday night against Miesha Tate
UFC heavyweight fighter Alistair Overeem was in attendance at this weekend’s UFC Fight Night 84 Q&A in London. During the Q&A press event, Overeem was asked about giving Brock Lesnar a rematch at some point down the road.
TULSA, Oklahoma -
A father and son were shot in a busy parking near 31st and Garnett Monday night. Police said the men were shot in an attempted robbery.
A family member of the victims said her husband and son had been working out at the gym but parked in the nearby Rib Crib parking lot around 7:30 p.m.
Tulsa police said, as the father, Mikey Burnett, and son, Freddie Burnett, got to their car, two men walked up and tried to rob them. We're told Freddie tried to fight off the suspected robbers after they shot his dad.
Police said the Mikey was shot three times in the abdomen and Freddie was shot once in the leg. Police said Mikey was taken to the hospital for surgery. Both are expected to survive.
Cop: Reason I stopped you, okay, is you're going 75 down Alameda in a 35, okay?
Jones: Was I?
Cop: Yeah, I got you on radar, okay. There's no need to be going that fast, man.
Jones: I didn't realize I was.
Cop: Okay, you got your license or insurance?
Jones: I don't, I don't have my license.
Cop: Where you headed?
Jones: I'm headed to Jackson's MMA, to practice at 8:30.
Cop: I need the registration for the license plate.
Jones: Is this it?
Cop: Nope. Do you have the insurance card?
Cop: So, you don't have anything then? You don't have a license with you, no registration, no insurance?
Jones: I just threw on some sweatpants and [unintelligable]
Cop: Is the vehicle in your name?
Jones: No, it's in my fiance's name.
Cop: So where's the insurance, man?
Jones: I don't know.
Cop: You don't know?
Jones: No, I don't know.
Cop: So why are you driving with no insurance, dude?
Jones: Is that illegal?
Cop: [snorts] You know it's illegal, man.
Jones: No, I don't. Is it?
Cop: YES. Everybody has to have insurance.
Jones: Yeah, the car's insured.
Cop: But you got to have proof of insurance. Just because you're telling me that it's legit doesn't mean that it's legit.
Jones: Yeah, I understand that.
Cop: I've got to see some proof.
Jones: I understand.
Cop: You don't have your license with you either, so why are you driving with no license. You know that you have to have a license to drive, right?
Jones: Yeah, I have a valid license.
Cop: But you have to have it with you.
Jones: Yeah. I lost my license a while ago, so I usually carry my passport.
Cop: Be straight up, okay. You don't have a license, right? To be driving.
Jones: No, I do.
Cop: Because you're not coming back in the system as having a license.
Jones: I don't know why that would be, because I'm from New York.
Cop: So, you don't have a New Mexico license?
Jones: No, sir.
Cop: Okay, but you've got one out of New York?
Jones: Mmhmm.
Cop: Okay, you just don't have it with you?
Jones: No, no I don't. I lost my... So, I'm from New York and I haven't gotten a... I've been living here, I moved here officially about a year and a half ago and I've been driving around carrying my passport.
Cop: Mmhmm.
Jones: I left my passport in my book bag at home, so that's the only reason I'm not carrying it.
Cop: But you've got to have a driver's license, not a passport, to drive, okay?
Jones: Okay, I didn't realize that.
Cop: I mean, going 75 is pretty much reckless driving, dude.
Jones: Yeah, that's what he's telling me.
Cop: So, you're getting a huge break dude. You know what I'm saying?
Jones: Yeah, I appreciate it.
Cop: You just need to get a license to drive if you're going to drive, alright? And just drive normal, okay?
Jones: Yeah. Yeah absolutely.
Cop: I mean, yeah you got a cool car, but there's no reason to go drive crazy and kill somebody or kill yourself. It ain't worth it dude.
Jones: Absolutely.
BJ Penn's retirement hasn't exactly been a quiet one. Not long after hanging up the gloves, the former UFC champion found himself on the wrong side of the law, following an apparent parking lot scrap with a friend that saw him get a fresh mugshot. The issue was apparently resolved after Penn agreed to pay the man's medical bills for injuries stemming from the fight.
Now, Penn has another public relations headache that might become something more serious. Former BJPenn.com website writer Pedro Alex Carrasco took to Twitter on Tuesday, February 16th to share a few choice pieces of information about his former employer. Carrasco who parted ways with the site back in October of last year has been relatively quiet on Twitter since leaving his post, but his recent messages leveled some heavy accusations:
For years, fans and fighters have clamored for those who have competed in the cage to be the ones handing in the official scorecards. However, fighters and coaches make many contacts over the course of their careers, and that leaves the door open to myriad potential conflicts of interest.
As a former King of Pancrase and successful competitor in the UFC, Almeida is probably the most high-profile fighter to end up at the judging table, and he told MMAjunkie that the procedures are in place in New Jersey to minimize the impact of those conflicts.
UFC Hall of Famer and Bellator light heavyweight Tito Ortiz was cited for misdemeanor battery early this morning after an alleged struggle with a woman in a Las Vegas nightclub.
Police were called to the Cromwell Casino at 1:08 this morning and made contact with a woman who claimed Ortiz tried to take her phone as she was filming a video, Las Vegas police spokesperson Laura Meltzer today told MMAjunkie.
The woman told TMZ Sports Ortiz “whipped her around” at Drai’s nightclub, thinking she was taking pictures of him, and was “scared for her life” when he allegedly got physical.
