Tag: MMA fighter

MMA fighters are no strangers to overcoming adversity, but few people can claim to have experienced the same highs and lows as Liverpool’s Shaqueme “Shem” Rock. The 28-year-old recently spoke to Full Contact Contender and gave a detailed account of an MMA career that could have ended on several occasions. “So in 2014, 2015, I…

Continue Reading MMA Fighter Shem Rock Details His 10 Years On The Run at MMA News.

A Baltimore police officer that previously competed in MMA is at the center of a new lawsuit directed against the Baltimore Police Department.

According to a report from The Baltimore Sun, Sergeant Welton Simpson Jr. of the BPD appeared to be the victim in a viral cell phone video from January 2020. In the video, several people could be seen kicking the officer as he grappled with a suspect on the ground.

Simpson claimed the altercation began when someone spit at him. Zayne Abdullah and Donnell Burgess were both arrested in connection to the incident, and the video drew immediate backlash from city officials for the apparent assault of an officer.

New video footage emerged in July 2020 that indicated Simpson was actually the one who instigated the conflict. Abdullah was identified by Simpson as the individual who spit on him, but footage from the officer’s body camera showed him pushing Adbullah while also swearing at him.

The officer was subsequently convicted of misconduct and making false statements, and now both Abdullah and Burgess have sued the city’s police department. The recent lawsuit has also renewed discussion around a domestic violence case from 2010 involving Simpson and his now ex-wife.

The officer’s then-wife filed for a protective order in January 2010 due to a 2009 incident where Simpson allegedly raped her and threatened her with his service weapon. The victim ended up taking the incident to court in 2010 after she discovered a bottle of paralyzing agent that she feared her then-husband might use on her.

The court order required Simpson to have no contact with his wife and also surrender his guns for three months. The lawsuit against the BPD caused by Simpson’s actions has sparked questions about why he was allowed to remain on the city’s police force following that domestic violence case.

Simpson’s behavior has been condemned as part of a larger issue of police corruption in Baltimore. His name has been added to a list of officers with “credibility issues” kept by the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office. An internal investigation by the BPD regarding the January 2020 altercation remains ongoing.

Simpson has been a member of Baltimore’s police force since 2001 and is also a military veteran who previously served in Iraq. He has competed in at least one MMA bout, though it’s unclear how significant a role the sport has had in Simpson’s life.

What’s your reaction to the news of this lawsuit involving a police officer that has competed in MMA?

Continue Reading Baltimore Police Officer With MMA Experience Instigates New Lawsuit at MMA News.

12-year-old Archie Battersbe is an aspiring MMA fighter who is currently the center of an intense legal battle in London.

On April 7, Archie was found unconscious at his Essex home and transported to Royal London Hospital. The 12-year-old has yet to regain consciousness, and doctors have claimed it’s “very likely” the boy is “brain-stem dead” according to the report from MyLondon.

Archie’s mother Hollie Dance has stayed by his side in the hospital and has been battling for him to remain on life-support despite the opinions of doctors. The family are currently awaiting a ruling from London’s High Court on whether or not Archie’s treatment should continue.

Dance has created a support page for Archie that now has over 10,000 followers, as well as GoFundMe and JustGiving pages to help with medical and legal fees. Speaking to MyLondon, Dance said the cause has attracted considerable attention and support.

“The support we’ve had has been incredible. You also get some trolls but I’m not interested in what they have to say. We’ve had such support from friends and family, we’ve had people from all over the world get in contact. We’ve had people from America, Australia, you name it.”

The report claims Archie was found with a ligature around his neck that was related to a viral social media game. An unnamed specialist who testified at the hearing on Tuesday stated there had been “no effort to breathe, no movement, no cough, no gag, fixed pupils” from Archie for the last 8 weeks.

Following after his older brother Tom, the 12-year-old had just recently begun training to be an MMA fighter.

“My son is fighting fit, he was training to be an MMA fighter for goodness sake,” Dance told MyLondon. “He was an athlete, always doing his gymnastics and had never been ill in his life…When he was younger, I found him once with his finger in the plug socket and I joked ‘well that’s where you get all your energy from.’”

A judge is expected to make a decision regarding the case on Monday. Archie’s family have already indicated they will appeal the decision in the event that it doesn’t go their way.

What do you think about this story from London about a 12-year-old aspiring MMA fighter?

Continue Reading 12-Year-Old Aspiring MMA Fighter At Center Of Legal Battle In London at MMA News.

MMA’s popularity has exploded since the turn of the century, and many kids now grow up idolizing the sport’s top fighters as they dream of their own combat sports careers.

A recent story by The Washington Post profiled the United States Fight League, a California-based promotion that has been hosting state-sanctioned MMA events since 2014 for fighters ages 8 to 17.

The organization was founded in the early 2000’s by Jon Frank, a former Marine and U.S Marshal. Frank doesn’t make any money from the non-profit venture, but he has a clear goal in mind.

“My whole focus is to use this sport to build the character of kids,” Frank told The Washington Post.

One fighter from the article who perfectly encapsulates how popular MMA has become among kids is 10-year-old Isaiah Trina. Known by his nickname “The Natural”, Trina traveled from Florida to California for a USFL event in May.

The event was the largest one the USFL has held so far, and Trina used the opportunity to show off his skills as well as antics such as imitating Conor McGregor’s famous “Billionare Strut”.

The United States has no formal governing body for youth MMA, so it’s currently up to athletic commissions in individual states to decide whether or not to sanction such competitions. While the USFL has been able to hold events in a few states outside of California, it’s still difficult to find willing commissions in the majority of the country.

Despite the obstacles they’ve faced, the USFL has already helped to develop several top MMA fighters. Angela, Christian and Victoria Lee of ONE Championship all competed for the USFL in their youth. Angela is ONE’s current 115-pound champion, while Christian formerly held their 170-pound belt.

The hesitance of some athletic commissions is understandable given the health risks associated with MMA. Brain health in particular is a constant talking point at even the highest levels of the sport, so it’s no surprise that it’s major concern for commissions even though youth MMA does not allow head strikes.

New York was famously the last state to legalize MMA, and chief medical officer Nitin Sethi of the New York Athletic Commission commented on the difficulty of sanctioning youth MMA compared to more traditional sports that kids play.

“This is different than contact sports,” Sethi said. “This is combat sports. Everything you’re doing is magnified, and that’s especially true for children…It’s very hard to make them completely safe.”

The number of kids wanting to get involved in MMA will only increase as the sport gains more popularity, so it’s possible we’ll see organizations such as the USFL pave the way for youth MMA regulation in the future.

What’s your reaction to the USFL’s efforts? Should youth MMA be more widely regulated and sanctioned?

Continue Reading California’s USFL Aims To Expand Regulation Of Youth MMA at MMA News.

A motorcyclist who also claimed to be an MMA fighter recently injured a police officer in England after crashing his motorcycle.

The report from the English newspaper The Shields Gazette identified the man as 30-year-old Ralph Oliver. The incident occurred early on May 16 on the A19, which is a major road in England.

An off-duty police officer noticed Oliver had crashed into a barrier and approached him to help. Oliver apparently identified himself as an MMA fighter and become “threatening” once the officer got close to him.

The officer had already called for assistance prior to approaching Oliver, and when additional police arrived the 30-year-old became combative. The self-identified MMA fighter ended up fracturing the finger of one of the officers in the ensuing scuffle.

According to the report from The Shields Gazette, Judge Christopher Prince of Newcastle Crown Court outlined the severity of the situation.

“You continued to be extremely threatening, even after being handcuffed,” the judge told Oliver. “It is described by one officer at the scene as one of the most frightening incidents he has encountered in 13 years as a police officer. He suffered a fracture to his finger, which was extremely painful. The whole incident was frightening, not least because it took place on the outer line of the A19.”

Oliver pled guilty to charges that included assault of an emergency worker and resisting arrest. He was sentenced to 18 months of community service, as well as 100 hours unpaid work and a year-long road ban.

Though Oliver identified himself as an MMA fighter before his altercation with the police, the report from the English newspaper made no mention of any follow-up research to verify this claim. While it’s possible that Oliver trains in his free time, there is no record available of him having competed in any pro or amateur MMA bouts.

What’s your reaction to this story from England about a supposed MMA fighter injuring a police officer?

Continue Reading Motorcyclist Claiming To Be MMA Fighter Injures Police Officer In England at MMA News.