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#3 Rachael Ostovich
Not all of the scandals involving UFC fighters and domestic violence have seen the fighter act as the perpetrator. Unfortunately, more than one of the UFC’s female fighters have in fact been the victim of domestic abuse, and one of them is current Flyweight contender Rachael Ostovich.
Ostovich, who was part of the cast on season 26 of The Ultimate Fighter, made her full UFC debut in December 2017 and defeated Karine Gevorgyan via armbar. However, shortly after making her second Octagon appearance, Ostovich became the victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her husband.
In November 2018, reports surfaced that Arnold Berdon – himself a professional MMA fighter with a record of 7-2 on the regional circuit – had been arrested and charged with attempted murder after attacking Ostovich. The UFC star suffered a broken orbital bone during the attack, and ended up filing a restraining order against her husband.
While the charges levelled at Berdon were eventually downgraded to second-degree assault, May 2019 saw the case head to court. There, despite initially trying to claim self-defense, Berdon was sentenced to four years of probation for his actions, while Ostovich stated that she “had the power to move on, walking in forgiveness”.
Since the incident, Ostovich has continued her career with the UFC, last being seen in a defeat to Paige VanZant in January 2019. Following this, she was suspended by USADA for a positive drug test, but recent reports have linked her to a fight with Gina Mazany next month.
#4 Thiago Silva
One of the more bizarre and disturbing scandals involving a UFC fighter and domestic violence saw Light-Heavyweight contender Thiago Silva arrested and charged with two counts of attempted murder in February 2014. The incident eventually led to the Brazilian being released by the UFC, although exact details of what happened are somewhat murky.
According to most reports, Silva was arrested following an incident that saw him threaten his wife Thaysa and her new partner, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Pablo Popovitch, with a handgun at Popovitch’s gym. The incident saw the police called, and when Silva fled, a stand-off with a SWAT team followed before the fighter eventually surrendered himself.
When disturbing police reports then surfaced, suggesting that Silva had been involved in domestic abuse prior to the incident – including threatening his wife with a gun – the UFC decided to terminate his contract.
However, six months later, things took a bizarre turn when all charges against Silva were dropped. Reports suggested that Thaysa had been “uncooperative” with the investigation and it was later stated that she’d returned to Brazil.
Incredibly, this was enough for the UFC to re-sign him – with Dana White stating that “he went through the legal process and came out of it untainted”. But that wasn’t the end of the story. Just days later, the promotion cut ties with the Brazilian, citing “new information” on the case that they’d been made aware of.
Silva has not fought in the UFC since, although he continues to fight on the regional circuit, most recently competing in Poland in May 2019.
#5 Andrea Lee
Current UFC Flyweight contender Andrea ‘KGB’ Lee is one of the division’s more popular fighters thanks to her distinctive look, exciting fighting style, and charisma. Unfortunately, 2018 saw her hit the news for the wrong reasons when she was named as the victim in a shocking domestic abuse scandal.
Lee’s husband Donny Aaron had already made headlines in MMA circles when fans spotted a swastika tattooed on his left arm in a photo posted by the fighter on social media. However, much worse was to come when a warrant was put out for Aaron’s arrest in August 2018 following allegations of domestic violence.
According to reports, Aaron had attacked Lee, choking her and threatening to put a cigarette out on her arm. While Lee went on to issue a statement explaining that she was handling the situation to the best of her ability and wished that the issue wasn’t taking place in a public forum, it would be some time before Aaron faced justice.
Incredibly, the kickboxing instructor was only arrested in May 2019 after going on the run following the warrant being placed out on him. While Aaron was then jailed on charges of domestic battery and false imprisonment, no further information has been released regarding a trial.
As for Lee, ‘KGB’ has continued to fight successfully in the UFC and has put together a 3-3 record in the promotion at the time of writing.
