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MMA is a brutal sport with all kinds of personalities, from different martial arts and nationalities, trying their hand at a unique form of the age-old business that is prize-fighting.
While our beloved sport is well-represented by fighters such as Georges St. Pierre, Demetrious Johnson, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and several others, we often come across a few fighters who can’t quite keep themselves out of trouble… well, trouble with the law, to be specific.
Today, we take a look at some of the most epic mugshots of well-known MMA fighters that promise to shock you. In addition to that, we’ve provided the crazy backstories that led to these mugshots.
#10 Joe Son
The story of Joe Son is without a doubt of one of the scariest. The South-Korean former MMA fighter and Austin Powers actor is a convicted felon serving a life sentence after being found guilty in the gang-rape of a woman that took place on Christmas’ Eve 1990.
Son along with an accomplice kidnapped, raped and tortured a 19-year-old girl, before releasing her naked with her pants tied around her eyes. His crimes would’ve gone untraced, but it was a 2008 probation violation which required him to provide a DNA sample that linked him to the 1990 gang-rape case.
In September of 2011, he was handed a 7 years to life prison sentence, with his partner also convicted in relation to the ‘90 incident. Furthermore, in October of the same year, he was suspected of having killed his cellmate Michael Graham -- a convicted sex offender --following which Son was charged for the crime in 2013 and convicted earlier this year.
#9 War Machine
One of MMA’s most notorious criminals, Jon Koppenhaver aka War Machine, was no stranger to breaking the law with multiple public brawls, assaulting civilians.
Furthermore, Jon assaulted his former girlfriend, pornographic actress Christy Mack, as well as her acquaintance Corey Thomas in August of 2014. The MMA veteran was convicted earlier this year, sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 36 years.
#8 Brock Lesnar
Given the number of hardcore criminals featured on our list, I think it’s safe to say Brock Lesnar’s misgivings make him seem like a saint of sorts.
"The Beast Incarnate" was apprehended in January of 2001 on suspicion of possessing anabolic steroids -- a charge that was later dropped upon the discovery that the substances were legal growth hormones.
Besides, apart from a few legal issues against the WWE, Lesnar was accused owing to his alleged hunting infractions in 2010 that eventually led to a $1,725 fine and a 6-month suspension from hunting.
#7 Jon Jones
Jon Jones was often mocked for once having crashed his swanky car into a pole with a couple of go-go dancers in the vehicle. Fast-forward to the year 2015 and ‘Bones’ was involved in a much more serious incident when he crashed his rental vehicle into another one driven by a pregnant woman.
As per witnesses, Jones fled the scene only to come back in order to grab some cash leaving behind his marijuana pipe, following which he fled the scene again.
In September of the same year, he was handed down a sentence of supervised probation for 18 months.
#6 Thiago Silva
The case of Thiago Silva has been a curious one, to say the least. The Brazilian went from an undefeated prospect to a mid-tier fighter in the blink of an eye following his KO loss to Lyoto Machida.
The man was then involved in an incident with his wife Thaysa and her partner Pablo Popovitch. Silva then faced charges of aggravated battery and was released from the UFC.
He was reinstated in the promotion only to be chucked out once again, after video evidence emerged of him threatening his estranged wife with a gun.
#5 Jarrod Wyatt
Jarrod Wyatt was accused of ripping out his friend and sparring partner Taylor Powell’s heart and tongue out while the latter was still alive.
Apart from the aforementioned charges being proved, police discovered that Wyatt had also skinned Powell’s face, and cooked the latter’s organs (heart and tongue) in a wood-burning stove.
Wyatt is presently serving a 50 year to life prison sentence. He and Powell were apparently on hallucinogenic drugs, after the consumption of which Wyatt was convinced that the world was about to end and Powell was the devil -- something which he claims urged him to kill the latter.
#4 Cody East
Cody East and his brother Tyler East have a laundry list of crimes on their resume, something that the duo is well-known for amongst hardcore MMA fans.
Cody, at the age of 17, was accused of raping a minor girl in his native of Albuquerque, but was only handed a month in the juvenile detention center, following which he had to wear a monitoring device on his ankles as he was placed under house arrest.
East was indicted on several charges in relation to the same case, in the year 2007 -- said charges including four counts of first-degree rape, four counts of second-degree criminal sexual contact of a minor, six counts of third-degree criminal sexual contact and one count of false imprisonment.
He was then involved in yet another incident in 2007 that saw him hip-toss a couple of teenage girls aged around 14-15. He then kicked his own father and stomped him while he was down on the ground.
#3 Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson
It was in July of 2008, a week after his high-profile UFC Light-Heavyweight Championship loss to Forrest Griffin, Rampage was detained and charged with felony for reckless driving and hit-and-run on multiple vehicles.
What added to his woes was the fact that he had his picture painted on the outside of the truck he was driving. He zoomed ahead in his Ford F-350 leading police officers in a dramatic car chase. Needless to say, the police won that fight.
In 2014, Rampage claimed that the reason behind him driving like a lunatic was to reach his friend and prevent the latter from committing suicide.
#2 Arianny Celeste
Arianny isn't a professional MMA fighter. However, she has gained worldwide notoriety as the UFC's most popular Octagon girl. So, she can't fight, right? You say. I say, think again.
It was in May of 2012 that ‘The Beautiful Arianny’ was accused of domestic violence by her then-partner Praveen Chandra. Both Celeste and Chandra were taken into custody at the Wynn Las Vegas.
Celeste accused Chandra of choking her multiple times, whereas the latter had initially accused her of trying to kill him with her sharp high heels.
The UFC -- the Fertitta brothers and Dana White to be specific -- stood by her and the unfortunate fiasco gradually died down.
#1 Nick Diaz and Charles ‘Krazy Horse’ Bennett
Nick Diaz was apprehended on a DUI charge in September of 2014 and booked for obstructing a police officer, destroying evidence as well as driving with a suspended license.
Nick’s mugshot that was taken after he surrendered himself to the cops, was one for the ages! The usually frown-sporting Diaz was seen smiling, and the happiest he’d ever looked.
When one talks about MMA and the run-ins the fighters of the promotion have had with the law, you simply cannot ignore Krazy Horse.
Charles Bennett has been arrested multiple times on the charges of aggravated battery, once against a pregnant woman. He has been arrested more than 15 times and still somehow keeps avoiding a lengthy prison term. Lady luck, maybe?
