(Step 1: Find a lawyer. Step 2: Explain that your ear didn’t look like that before the accident. Step 3: Collect large settlement. Step 4: Celebrate.)
If one more Brazilian UFC champion becomes involved in a car accident this month, we can officially start calling this a trend. Just a day after we reported that Jose Aldo was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle in Rio de Janeiro, MMA Convert passed along word that heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos was the victim of a hit-and-run while driving in Salvador, Brazil, last week. As JDS explained on his twitter (which was helpfully translated into Broken English by MMAConvert):
“The transit of Salvador giving this fear. They just hit my car and did not stop, continued to follow the path as if it were normal. Please let us be more aware and respect others. You win nothing with violence and disrespect. Crossing and follow in peace.”
Dos Santos escaped the incident without injury, and is still scheduled to defend his title against Cain Velasquez at UFC 155 on December 29th.
Speaking of dangerous drivers…
UFC heavyweight gatekeeper Christian Morecraft — who is riding back-to-back knockout losses against Matt Mitrione and Pat Barry — has now joined the UFC’s exclusive club of drunk-drivers, which also includes Chris Leben, Josh Neer, Ross Pearson, and Jon Jones. Over the weekend, Morecraft was charged with operating under the influence, after he refused a breathalyzer test following a traffic stop. As CageJunkies explains:
The word “operating” is actually more encompassing (and more accurate) than “driving” because almost all states make it illegal to “operate or be in actual physical control” of a motor vehicle. This means that you can be sitting in your car, off the side of the road, with the engine running and the car in park, and asleep, yet still be charged with OUI. The states that have OUI as their acronym are Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Morecraft trains out of Hyannis, Massachusetts.
Following the arrest, Morecraft posted the following on his Facebook page:
“Aa good man is an honest man and i made a mistake, After a long work week and a good week of training I hit a speed bump, I beat myself I had a few beers and grabbed a bite to eat I got pulled over and asked to take a breathalyzer I refused so I was arrested and charged with an OUI ….I apologize to the community the UFC and CAPE COD INSULLATION my family friends.”