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Update: Witnesses to War Machine Arrest Claim Fighter Had a Gun, Was Tasered, And May Have Roughed Up a Woman at His Hotel

(It’s too bad we can’t read his t-shirt, because it surely carries a thought-provoking message of universal truth. / Photo via TMZ)

According to the Simi Valley Police Department’s initial statement, War Machine was arrested “without incident” on Friday, for the alleged beating of his ex-girlfriend Christy Mack. But witnesses at the hotel claim that the apprehension involved a taser, a gun, and some hair-pulling. Here are a couple of choice quotes from a KTLA.com report published yesterday:

A hotel guest who witnessed the arrest told KTLA that officers used a Taser on Koppenhaver.

“And they were like banging on the door, trying to get it open, and they’re like, ‘Open the door, open the door,” Nicolle Blankenship said. “Finally when they got it open they yelled, ‘Gun,’ and then all of a sudden you see them shoot him with a Taser. And he got shot with a Taser and he went down to the floor, and then they handcuffed him”…

Hotel guest Mary Casamento said she called police to the hotel after seeing a “big dude” yelling at and pushing a petite woman who was trying to calm him down. He grabbed her by the hair, Casamento said.

CagePotato will pay cash money for any footage of War Machine being tasered during his apprehension. We’ll keep you posted as more details emerge…

(It’s too bad we can’t read his t-shirt, because it surely carries a thought-provoking message of universal truth. / Photo via TMZ)

A hotel guest who witnessed the arrest told KTLA that officers used a Taser on Koppenhaver.

CagePotato will pay cash money for any footage of War Machine being tasered during his apprehension. We’ll keep you posted as more details emerge…

Joe Riggs Shoots Himself While Cleaning Gun, Forced Out of UFC Return Against Paulo Thiago

(Nick Diaz described the incident as “not very gangster.” / Photo via Getty)

We’ll start with the good news: Joe Riggs is alive and safe. The bad news is, his unlikely UFC return has been postponed because he accidentally shot himself last night. From UFC.com:

Scheduled to return to the Octagon in Brasilia, Brazil on September 13 against Paulo Thiago, veteran Joe “Diesel” Riggs’s first UFC bout since 2006 has been put on hold after an accident at Riggs’ home in Arizona Monday night.

The UFC released the following statement on the incident.

“We were made aware that newly-signed UFC competitor Joe Riggs was involved in an unfortunate accident last night. While cleaning his permitted firearm (a pistol), the gun discharged, injuring his hand and upper thigh. Riggs was transported to a nearby hospital in Arizona where he is being treated by physicians. We wish Joe a speedy recovery.”

A replacement opponent for Thiago is being sought and will be announced shortly.

Gun accidents claim the lives of hundreds of people every year in this country. We like to bust balls and crack wise on CagePotato, but this is a topic we would never joke about.

[*snort*]

We’ll keep you posted on Joe’s condition as we get more details.

(Nick Diaz described the incident as “not very gangster.” / Photo via Getty)

We’ll start with the good news: Joe Riggs is alive and safe. The bad news is, his unlikely UFC return has been postponed because he accidentally shot himself last night. From UFC.com:

The UFC released the following statement on the incident.

A replacement opponent for Thiago is being sought and will be announced shortly.

Gun accidents claim the lives of hundreds of people every year in this country. We like to bust balls and crack wise on CagePotato, but this is a topic we would never joke about.

[*snort*]

We’ll keep you posted on Joe’s condition as we get more details.

Thiago Silva Held Without Bail and Given Lifetime UFC Ban as Horrific Details Begin to Emerge in Aggravated Assault Case

(Courtroom feed of Silva’s bond hearing via sunsentinel.)

We don’t even know where to begin with the details emerging in the aftermath of Thiago Silva’s armed standoff with Florida Police, so let’s just jump right into it (via a police report obtained by MMAFighting):

-After appearing before a judge this morning, Silva was officially charged with two counts of aggravated assault, one count of resisting an officer without violence, and one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon stemming from a prior incident.

-The aforementioned prior incident took place on January 30th, 2014 between Silva and his ex-wife, Thaysa (the couple filed for divorce in December 2012 after 13 years of marriage but continued to live together), wherein Silva allegedly “picked up a revolver, pushed her onto the sofa, placed a revolver inside her mouth and threatened to kill her.”

-Two days ago, police were again called to the Silva residence by Thaysa when she arrived home to find her ex-husband inside, which violated the terms of the temporary injunction for protection she had filed against Silva. Thiago eventually left without incident (after initially refusing), but later texted Thaysa that he was “gonna f–k you up and you are going to die. I am going to hire someone to kill you and I am gonna move my girlfriend in.”

(Courtroom feed of Silva’s bond hearing via sunsentinel.)

-Yesterday evening, Silva arrived at the Pablo Popovitch Mixed Martial Arts Academy, visibly intoxicated. Popovitch has been involved in a romantic relationship with Thaysa that is partially responsible for setting Silva off in the first place. After honking the horn until Thaysa exited the gym, Silva pointed a glock at his ex-wife’s face and stated, “You have ten seconds to bring Pablo outside and if he does not come out, I will go in the gym and start shooting everyone.”

Once Popovitch exited the gym, Silva continued to make death threats with the gun pointed at Thaysa, prompting Popovitch to call the police.

-Police officers arrived at Silva’s house shortly thereafter. In turn, Silva “faced the deputies and gave them the middle finger then proceeded inside his residence.” A SWAT team was subsequently sent in and managed to subdue Silva with a taser before taking him into custody.

-The state was pursuing an attempted murder charge for the January 30th incident, but Silva’s previously clean record, in addition the lien currently being placed on him by the IRS for unpaid taxes, led Judge John Hurley to throw out the charge. However, Hurley did recognize that Silva was a potential flight risk and threat to the community, and forced him to surrender his passport before withholding his bond.

Oh yeah, and Dana White told TMZ and Yahoo Sports that Silva “will never fight in the UFC again.” Glad we could get that out of the way.

If only this was the most insane thing that will happen in Florida today. We will keep you updated on Silva’s case as information is made available.

–J. Jones

UFC Fighter Thiago Silva Arrested on Multiple Charges Following Altercation at MMA School, Armed Standoff With Police [UPDATED]

(Thiago Silva mugshot via SunSentinel. Props to CP reader ‘Toto Africa’ for the tip.)

UFC light-heavyweight veteran Thiago Silva was arrested last night at his home in Oakland Park, Florida, after an armed standoff with police. The incident began around 7:45 p.m. ET, when Silva allegedly stormed into the Pablo Popovitch Mixed Martial Arts Academy while carrying a gun, made “unspecified threats,” then left and barricaded himself inside his home. Broward County police — including a SWAT team — surrounded his residence, and Silva eventually surrendered at about 11:15 p.m.

Early this morning, Silva was booked into Broward County’s maximum-security Main Jail facility on four charges, including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest/obstruction. That’s pretty much all we know right now. Though there were a lot of reports flying around twitter last night regarding Silva’s motives and the weapon he was carrying, none of those details have been officially confirmed as of yet.

Currently riding a two-fight win streak, Silva was scheduled to fight Ovince St. Preux at UFC 171 (March 15th, Dallas). It’s unclear if that fight will still take place. The UFC released the following brief, non-committal statement last night:

This evening, we were made aware of a situation involving Thiago Silva. We are in the process of gathering the facts and have no further comment at this time.

We’ll update you when we know more.

UPDATE #1: After the jump, a video of Silva being taken into custody, flipping off cameras, and telling cops that his wife wanted his money.

(Thiago Silva mugshot via SunSentinel. Props to CP reader ‘Toto Africa’ for the tip.)

This evening, we were made aware of a situation involving Thiago Silva. We are in the process of gathering the facts and have no further comment at this time.

We’ll update you when we know more.

UPDATE #1: After the jump, a video of Silva being taken into custody, flipping off cameras, and telling cops that his wife wanted his money.

(Props: NBCMiami via MMAMania)

UPDATE #2: A pro-fighter and Popovitch black belt named James Brasco has made a post on the UG explaining the domestic situation that might have led to Silva’s armed freak-out.

UFC Veteran ‘Crazy’ Tim Credeur Arrested on Marijuana/Gun Charges

That clean-cut gentleman shown in the above mugshot is MMA fighter/instructor “Crazy” Tim Credeur, who was arrested yesterday in Lafayette, Louisiana, for possession of marijuana and a concealed weapon. (Props to BustedinAcadiana for the tip.) We have no other details on the arrest at this time.

The founder and owner of Gladiators Academy in Lafayette, Credeur is perhaps best known for his stint on TUF 7, which was followed by a 3-2 run in the UFC from 2008-2011. Credeur hasn’t competed since his first-round TKO loss to Ed Herman back at the TUF 13 Finale in June 2011. Earlier that year, he appeared as one of the central figures in the documentary Fightville, which premiered at the 2011 SXSW Film Festival. (You can read Elias Cepeda’s review of the film right here.)

We’ll update you when we know more.

And Now They’re Banned: All Gun, Ammo, Knife, and Hunting Sponsors

(Molon Labe)

By Jason Moles

(First off, let me just tell you that I fought the urge to use a “Business as usual” headline. You’re welcome.)

News trickled down last week that Zuffa has instituted a sponsorship ban on all firearm, ammo, hunting, and knife companies. Essentially, no more Matt Hughes. Starting January 23rd, Ammo To Go and The Gun Store, among others, will no longer be able to sponsor fighters. When contacted by CagePotato in hopes to better understand the reasoning behind the less than popular decision, the UFC said only that “These are rules set in place by Fox” — who declined to comment.

Not satisfied with that answer, I called up the man himself. And by “called up,” I mean tweeted. And by “the man himself,” I meant Dana White – not Sheik Tahnoon. His answer only raised more questions, primarily why doesn’t the UFC President know that some of his fighters will soon receive one less paycheck courtesy of FOX? Talk about bad timing, too. Wasn’t it just a week ago that Lorenzo Fertita was touting to ESPN the significant amount of money to be made in sponsorships?

(Molon Labe)

By Jason Moles

(First off, let me just tell you that I fought the urge to use a “Business as usual” headline. You’re welcome.)

According to reports by Ingrained Media, the ban applies to all Zuffa promoted events. Even if you won’t be appearing on any of the FOX Broadcasting Company’s channels, you are still not permitted to be sponsored by any of the aforementioned types of companies. We all knew that concessions were made in order to secure the FOX deal, but did we really think it would come to this? You know somewhere in the pine-covered backwoods, a lonely and shaken two-time Welterweight champion is weeping bitterly – not because he needs the extra money, but because it’s still America to him dammit.

What are we to make of all of this? Don’t even dare asking if this is ‘fair‘ or not. Would we be justified in crying outrage, pointing to the food stolen out of fighter X’s mouth? Is it safe to say that a company on the rise is distancing itself from things that are potentially lethal in order to gain mass acceptance? Before we get up in arms, let’s wait for the fighters who are actually affected by this to give us their take. In the meantime, let us know in the comments if you think this is a step in the right direction for FOX and Zuffa or if they’re shooting themselves in the foot on this one.