The 16 Most Notorious Arrests in MMA History

(Spit-bags: The sure sign of a bad time. Photo courtesy of TMZ.)

By Ben Goldstein and Jason Moles

The rule applies in any profession: For every law-abiding nice-guy, there’s an unstable son-of-a-b**ch who you’d never want to leave your kids alone with. And so, we decided to take a ride through MMA’s shadowy history of assault, robbery, vandalism, drug-smuggling, and other nasty behavior — the most infamous examples of fighters living dangerously and paying the price…

#16: Jeff Monson — First-Degree Malicious Mischief; Assault

It’s never a good idea to have evidence of your law-breaking published nationally. In a bizarre lapse of judgment, heavyweight veteran Jeff Monson was busted after he allowed ESPN the Magazine to photograph him spray-painting an anarchy symbol on the Washington state capitol building. Though the charge packed a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, the Snowman was able to plead down to three months. Just days later, Monson was arrested again when a domestic dust-up with one of his many love-interests resulted in an overturned grandfather clock and a fist-shaped hole in the wall; those charges were later dismissed.

#15: Kim Couture — Domestic Violence

Last May, MMA’s most famous ex-wife ended an argument with her personal assistant by choking and shaking her on a bed. Couture was reportedly upset that the assistant wanted to move out of her house after living there for three weeks. The original report left us with these unsettling lines: “It seems that part of the friction that developed between the victim and Ms. Couture was that Ms. Couture was extremely controlling; she wouldn’t permit the victim any autonomy; and the implication that Ms. Couture wanted something more from the victim than just personal assistant services.”

#14: Harold Howard — Aggravated Assault and Other Charges

The short version? He attacked two relatives with a claw hammer, then crashed his pick-up truck through the front doors of a Niagara Falls casino. It was later revealed that Howard had been self-medicating with a head-scrambling blend of Oxycocet, Gabapentin, and sleeping pills.

#13: Kimo Leopoldo — Drug Possession; Impersonating an Officer

The famously undead UFC veteran was arrested in 2009 for hanging out in a Long Beach Police Department jumpsuit with drugs in his car. Leopoldo pleaded no-contest to stealing the police uniform, which earned him a mere 10 days of community service. However, what was first reported as meth turned out to be marijuana instead. After agreeing to a stint in rehab and three years’ probation, the misdemeanor charges were dropped.

#12: Vyacheslav Datsik — Escape and Earlier Charges

After escaping from a Russian mental hospital, Datsik spent a month on the lam before turning himself in to authorities in Norway, bringing along two loaded pistols. He was granted temporary asylum after a Norwegian police psychiatrist argued that he had been intentionally misdiagnosed as insane due to his political leanings. In March 2011, Datsik was extradited back to Russia; the Norwegian government reportedly spent 120,000 Kroner — the equivalent of $21,658 — to fly him out of the country.

#11: Jeremy Jackson — Rape, Kidnapping and Other Charges

In 2008, the TUF 4 castmember was accused of breaking into an ex-girlfriend’s house and raping her at gunpoint. During the trial, the victim’s credibility came under fire, and it seemed that Jackson had a shot at going free. But Jackson changed his mind midway through and decided to plead guilty, going against the advice of his lawyer. According to one juror, Jackson “only pleaded guilty because he was depressed and wanted the trial to end.” He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

The countdown continued on the original article’s second page with Krazy Horse, Junie Browning and more.