Tag: Luis Pena

UFC Alum Luis Pena Arrested Again, Charged With Battery, Criminal Mischief

Luis PenaUFC lightweight alum, Luis Pena has been arrested for the third time this year, following his October release from the North American-based promotion, and is again facing misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal mischief.  As per a report initially from TSN reporter, Aaron Bronsteter on Wednesday, Naples-born lightweight, Pena was arrested in Broward County, Florida where he […]

Luis Pena

UFC lightweight alum, Luis Pena has been arrested for the third time this year, following his October release from the North American-based promotion, and is again facing misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal mischief. 

As per a report initially from TSN reporter, Aaron Bronsteter on Wednesday, Naples-born lightweight, Pena was arrested in Broward County, Florida where he is faced with two new charges of misdemeanor battery and criminal mischief. No bond has been set for Pena who remains at the Paul Rein Detention Center in Pompano Beach, Florida. 

“Former UFC lightweight Luis Pena was arrested on Monday for the third time since June,” Bronsteter tweeted. “He faces two further charges for misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal mischief per Broward arrest records. These charges are for alleged offenses that took place outside of Broward Co.“

Pena, 28, was previously arrested back in June in Coral Springs, Florida where he faced felony charges of battery, criminal mischief, and robbery — with his bond set at an amount of $1,000 on that occasion.  

In October, Pena was arrested for the second time this year by responding Florida officers after he is alleged to have struck and bit his girlfriend as well as also allegedly striking another woman as she attempted to intervene. 

Luis Pena was officially released from the UFC back in October of this year following his second arrest this annum

The second arrest subsequently resulted in his release from the UFC following an eight-fight stint with the Dana White-led organization later that month.

“UFC is aware of the disturbing allegations concerning the recent arrest of Luis Pena,” The statement read. “Mr. Luis Pena has been open about his struggles with mental health and substance abuse issues and the organization has on multiple prior occasions attempted to help him get professional treatment.“

“At this time, UFC believes Mr. Luis Pena needs to deal with the health and legal issues in front of him, and consequently has informed Mr. Luis Pena’s management that his promotional agreement has been terminated.“

In Pena’s most recent professional victory, The Ultimate Fighter 27 contestant took home a split decision victory over Alexander Munoz on the main card of UFC Vegas 24 in April. 

Chael Sonnen Explains Why Jon Jones & Luis Pena Aren’t The Same

Chael SonnenChael Sonnen has explained why Jon Jones and Luis Pena received vastly different treatment from the UFC following their recent arrests for domestic violence. Pena was cut by the UFC after being accused of striking two women. According to the police report, ‘Violent Bob Ross’ was beating up his girlfriend when a passer-by intervened. Pena […]

Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen has explained why Jon Jones and Luis Pena received vastly different treatment from the UFC following their recent arrests for domestic violence.

Pena was cut by the UFC after being accused of striking two women. According to the police report, ‘Violent Bob Ross’ was beating up his girlfriend when a passer-by intervened. Pena then struck the good Samaritan and was subsequently charged with misdemeanor domestic violence and simple battery.

A couple of weeks before that, Jones was in Las Vegas to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. After what he called the biggest night of his life Jones got drunk and ended up in an altercation with the mother of his children. The former light-heavyweight champion claims he never hit his fiancée, Jessie Moses, but the police report states that Moses approached hotel security at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas asking for a replacement key card. The hotel security guards told police that Moses had blood on her face and clothing. It also says that Jones’ own children asked hotel security to call the police on their father. Jones has since denied hitting his partner.

Some will say Pena suffered a more severe punishment because he is a lesser-known fighter who will not really be missed by the UFC. Whereas Jones is one of the biggest stars in the sport and therefore got preferential treatment.

However, Sonnen doesn’t believe that is the case. The former middleweight and light-heavyweight title challenger believes more attention should be paid to the specific cases. He says Pena was actually accused of attacking someone, while no one has categorically accused Jones of hitting his fiancée.

Chael Sonnen: Jon Jones Has Never Been Accused

“If we’re to be fair, Jon has never even been accused of that domestic dispute. Jon said it was the worst incident of his life, and he called it a confrontation. But it’s very relevant because as you’re juxtaposing these three [cases] – Luis Pena being the third – Luis Pena was charged. There was a police report. I understand due process. I understand innocent until proven guilty. But Luis Pena was swiftly released [from the UFC]. It is not apples to apples,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel.

Sonnen likened Jones’ case to a recent domestic incident that led to Chuck Liddell being arrested before he was quickly cleared of any wrongdoing.

“If we wanna take that same fairness over to Jon Jones, if you’re telling the Jones story correctly – it means you’re not putting emotion, you’re not putting your opinion in it,” Sonnen said. “You can’t even take what you have that circumstantially could drive you to the conclusion. But you can’t do that because you have to start with, was he even accused. I have to remind you – the answer is no. Jon was not accused. Nobody said that.” (Transcribed by Sportskeeda)

Do you agree with Chael Sonnen’s take on the Jon Jones situation?

911 Call Prior To Luis Peña’s Domestic Violence Arrest Released

The audio of the 911 call that led to Luis Peña’s domestic violence arrest over the weekend has been released. Last Saturday, Luis Peña was arrested on charges of domestic violence and battery after allegedly punching his girlfriend (Jamie Driver) and another woman. This made for the second time this year that Peña has been […]

Continue Reading 911 Call Prior To Luis Peña’s Domestic Violence Arrest Released at MMA News.

The audio of the 911 call that led to Luis Peña’s domestic violence arrest over the weekend has been released.

Last Saturday, Luis Peña was arrested on charges of domestic violence and battery after allegedly punching his girlfriend (Jamie Driver) and another woman. This made for the second time this year that Peña has been charged with crimes associated with assaulting Driver.

Thursday, the audio of Driver’s 911 call was released by TMZ. Here is some of what was said on the call:

“I wasn’t trying to snitch, but since my boyfriend wants to be an asshole, he put his hands on me, and he’s got to go,” Driver said to the emergency dispatcher.

“He punched me in the face. But, he did this also 2 days ago, I have the mark, I have a band-aid on my back. I have everything to prove it, so I would like the police to come and remove him, so I can get my things and go the f*** home.”

Driver mentioned that the police already responded to an earlier call for this incident, but she was unresponsive because she didn’t want to “snitch.” After matters continued to escalate she said she had no choice but to call again with the willingness to cooperate fully if that’s what it took to remove Peña from the residence.

“We have a no-contact order, so technically we shouldn’t even be living together,” Driver said. “I really need the cops to come and get him out now., I have scratches and bruises all over me from him, I need him gone.”

“I’m done, and I need help, please.”

Following this latest incident, the UFC made the decision to release Peña from their roster. He had competed in the promotion for three years, compiling a 5-3 record during the stint.

MMA News will keep you updated as more information becomes available on this developing story.

Continue Reading 911 Call Prior To Luis Peña’s Domestic Violence Arrest Released at MMA News.

Luis Pena 911 Call Audio: ‘He Punched Me In The Face’

Luis PenaLuis Pena was recently arrested for the second time this year on charges relating to domestic violence. The lightweight fighter has since been released by the UFC due to his ongoing legal troubles.   Last week, Pena was accused of striking two women. According to the police report, ‘Violent Bob Ross’ was beating up his […]

Luis Pena

Luis Pena was recently arrested for the second time this year on charges relating to domestic violence.

The lightweight fighter has since been released by the UFC due to his ongoing legal troubles.  

Last week, Pena was accused of striking two women. According to the police report, ‘Violent Bob Ross’ was beating up his girlfriend when a passer-by intervened. Pena then struck the good Samaritan and was subsequently charged with misdemeanor domestic violence and simple battery.

Since then, TMZ has obtained audio taken from the 911 call Pena’s girlfriend made. At the start of the call, she identifies him as a UFC fighter and goes on to claim that he punched her.

“Well, I wasn’t trying to snitch,” the woman said on the call. “But since my boyfriend wants to be an asshole – he put his hands on me, and he’s got to go.”

“He punched me in the face,” she said. “But he did this also two days ago, I have the marks. I have a Band-Aid on my back. I have everything to prove it. So I would like the police to come and I want them to remove him so I can get my things and go the f*ck home.”

The woman goes on to refer to another time Pena was arrested for hitting her only for the charges to be dropped as she refused to cooperate with the investigation.

“(The police) were mad because I wouldn’t cooperate because I didn’t want to snitch on him,” she said. “But unfortunately, I have to now. So I would like them to come back.

“We have a no contact order, so technically we shouldn’t even be living together. I really need the cops to come and get him out now, because I have scratches and bruises all over me from him. I need him gone. I’m done, and I need help … please.”

Pena was arrested in June following an incident of domestic violence. The now-former UFC fighter was arrested on battery charges, robbery by sudden snatching, and criminal mischief after striking his girlfriend and destroying her phone. After the event, Pena took to social media to discuss his long-term and ongoing battle with mental health issues.

Do you think the UFC made the right call by cutting Luis Pena?

Dana White Discusses Decision To Cut Luis Pena & If Jon Jones Might Be Next

Dana WhiteDana White has explained his reason for cutting Luis Pena from the UFC roster. ‘Violent Bob Ross’ has been arrested twice in 2021. On both occasions, Pena was allegedly involved in an incident of domestic violence. In June, the now-former UFC fighter was arrested on battery charges, robbery by sudden snatching, and criminal mischief after […]

Dana White

Dana White has explained his reason for cutting Luis Pena from the UFC roster.

‘Violent Bob Ross’ has been arrested twice in 2021. On both occasions, Pena was allegedly involved in an incident of domestic violence.

In June, the now-former UFC fighter was arrested on battery charges, robbery by sudden snatching, and criminal mischief after striking his girlfriend and destroying her phone. After his arrest, Pena wrote on social media about his long and ongoing struggles with mental health issues.

Last week, Pena was again in trouble with the law. This time the 28-year-old was accused of striking two women. According to the police report, the MMA fighter was beating up his girlfriend when a passer-by intervened. Pena then struck the good Samaritan and was subsequently charged with misdemeanor domestic violence and simple battery.

On Tuesday, the UFC explained their decision to cut Pena in a statement to TMZ.

“UFC is aware of the disturbing allegations concerning the recent arrest of Luis Pena. Mr. Pena has been open about his struggles with mental health and substance abuse issues, and the organization has on multiple prior occasions attempted to help him get professional treatment. At this time, UFC believes Mr. Pena needs to deal with the health and legal issues in front of him and consequently has informed Mr. Pena’s management that his promotional agreement has been terminated.”

After the latest episode of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, the UFC boss spoke about the decision to cut Pena and discussed if Jon Jones might follow him out the door after his most recent arrest on similar charges.

Dana White Reacts To Luis Pena Being Cut By The UFC

“This was a bad case,” White said. And we knew that he had problems before that we were trying to help him with. This is a pretty nasty one. I don’t know if you guys read the police report but yeah, this one had to happen.

The UFC president was then asked if Jones could face the same fate as Pena.

“Something like that could happen to anybody. Yeah. It could happen to anybody,” White replied.

Do you think Dana White is seriously contemplating cutting Jon Jones from the UFC?

Dana White & The UFC Explain Release Of Luis Peña After DV Charges

Luis Peña has been released from the UFC after being charged with domestic violence and battery in his second arrest of 2021. In June, Luis Peña was arrested on charges of robbery by sudden snatching, battery, and criminal mischief.  These charges were brought about in connection to a pair of incidents involving Peña and his […]

Continue Reading Dana White & The UFC Explain Release Of Luis Peña After DV Charges at MMA News.

Luis Peña has been released from the UFC after being charged with domestic violence and battery in his second arrest of 2021.

In June, Luis Peña was arrested on charges of robbery by sudden snatching, battery, and criminal mischief.  These charges were brought about in connection to a pair of incidents involving Peña and his girlfriend, Jamie Driver.

According to the domestic violence probable cause affidavit, Peña accused Driver of looking at other men, prompting him to snatch and smash her iPhone. After the fact, the couple was involved in a fight with punches thrown on both sides. Driver then claims that Peña punched her the following day after she asked him to leave her home.

Last weekend, Peña was arrested for a second time. Again, Peña is being accused of assaulting Driver. The report alleges the former UFC lightweight struck his girlfriend with closed-fist punches and then also punched another woman who tried to intervene in the altercation. One day after the details of this second arrest were revealed, ESPN reported that the UFC decided to cut ties with the embattled mixed martial artist.

The Public Questions UFC’s Consistency Following Peña’s Release

Another fighter who has had multiple arrests during his UFC career, including recent allegations of domestic battery, is former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. White has stated that the UFC will ‘do what they always do’ and see how Jones’ case plays out in the legal system before they make any decisions about his status. Thus, Jones remains on the UFC roster as he awaits his first court date for these latest charges on October 26.

It didn’t take long for the public to point out the perceived inconsistency between the UFC’s treatment of Jones versus that of Peña. Here is a brief snapshot of some of the reactions on Twitter:

Dana White & The UFC Explain Decision To Release Luis Peña

As the last tweet above suggested, Dana White would indeed be answering questions about Peña’s release in his next presser. Coincidentally, the presser just happened to be the same night as Peña’s release on Tuesday.

Before White was asked to comment on the matter, the UFC issued the following statement to ESPN in their announcement of Peña’s release:

“At this time, UFC believes Mr. Peña needs to deal with the health and legal issues in front of him, and consequently has informed Mr. Peña’s management that his promotional agreement has been terminated,” the statement read, continuing that Peña “has been open about his struggles with mental health and substance abuse issues” and the UFC has “on multiple occasions attempted to help him get professional treatment.”

In light of other domestic violence accusations and allegations of UFC fighters like Mike Perry, Greg Hardy (pre-UFC arrival), and the aforementioned Jon Jones, White was asked if this release was a sign of things to come. Here is what the UFC boss had to say in response:

“Well, this was a bad case,” White began. “And we knew that [Peña] had problems before we were trying to help him with. And yeah, this is a pretty nasty one. I don’t know if you guys read the police report, but yeah, this one had to happen.”

White was then pressed specifically on whether the same could happen to Jon Jones. White responded as follows:

“Something like that could happen to anybody,” White assured. “Yeah. It could happen to anybody.”

Continue Reading Dana White & The UFC Explain Release Of Luis Peña After DV Charges at MMA News.