Tag: Hailey Cowan

Jacob Brennan, husband/coach of UFC’s Hailey Cowan, arrested on child sex crime allegations in Texas

Jacob Brennan, husband of UFC fighter Hailey Cowan, is accused of sexual misconduct with a minor he coached 10 years ago.

A Texas MMA coach and husband of a UFC fighter has been arrested after allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor.

Jacob Brennan, 40, husband of UFC women’s bantamweight [autotag]Hailey Cowan[/autotag], was arrested Sunday with indecency with a child with sexual contact, a second-degree felony in Texas. Possible sentences include from two to 20 years in prison.

The news first was reported by KWTX-TV in Waco, near where Brennan runs Blitz MMA in Robinson.

According to the criminal complaint affidavit, a woman told investigators Brennan inappropriately touched her when he coached her between 2013 and 2015, the station reported. At the time of the start of the alleged abuse, the woman was 13; Brennan was 30.

The woman met with detectives in early November 2023. According to her statement in the affidavit, “Brennan kissed her hundreds of times and touched her vagina above and below her clothes hundreds of times between 2013 and 2015.”

An Instagram page that went live about three months before Brennan’s arrest includes screenshots of alleged messages from Brennan to the woman when she was a teenager, as well as Facebook screenshots of photos of them together at the gym in groups and of just the two of them.

Cowan, who married Brennan in 2022, started training at the gym in 2014 and appears in some of the photos.

Brennan was arrested and booked into McLennan County (Texas) Jail on Sunday. Bail was set at $75,000. Brennan is not listed as a current inmate at the jail as of publication time.

Jacob Brennan (photo via McLennan County Jail, Texas)

Cowan (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), a former collegiate gymnast at Baylor, won on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022 and got an eventual UFC contract. The 32-year-old missed weight for her UFC debut a little more than a year ago and lost a decision to Jamey-Lyn Horth.

Cowan was set to return this past September against Zarah Fairn but pulled out with an injury. She also was supposed to be back this past Saturday at UFC Fight Night 241, but posted photos recently of a badly bruised lower leg and said a broken shin took her out of a fight with Tamires Vidal.

Brennan has coached Cowan in her DWCS and UFC fights. He also appeared with her on the red carpet for the Rose Namajunas documentary at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, in 2022.

Editor’s note: The original publication of this story incorrectly stated that Brennan is facing charges. He has not been charged at this time.

Melissa Gatto fights Tamires Vidal at UFC Fight Night 241 after Hailey Cowan suffers broken leg

Hailey Cowan has withdrawn again, and so Melissa Gatto is now set to make her UFC bantamweight debut.

The UFC Fight Night 241 lineup has been tweaked slightly.

With [autotag]Hailey Cowan[/autotag] injured, [autotag]Melissa Gatto[/autotag] moves to bantamweight to fight fellow Brazilian [autotag]Tamires Vidal[/autotag] at the May 18 event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the change recently informed MMA Junkie of the tweak but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Update (5:45 p.m. ET): Cowan (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) revealed on social media after MMA Junkie’s report that she suffered a broken leg in training. Initially thought to be a rolled ankle, Cowan said an X-ray showed a displaced fracture of her fibula. She shared photos of her bruised leg.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6PN0iqSYuN/

Gatto (8-2-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) was scheduled to fight Victoria Dudakova at UFC on ESPN 54 on March 30. The bout was canceled moments prior to the scheduled walkouts due to an illness with Dudakova. Gatto has not previously competed at bantamweight in the UFC and will look to snap a two-fight skid.

After a flying knee knockout win in her promotional debut, Vidal (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) most recently competed in September when she lost a split decision to Montserrat Rendon. The defeat snapped a six-fight winning streak.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 241 lineup includes:

  • Edson Barboza vs. Lerone Murphy
  • Angela Hill vs. Luana Pinheiro
  • Warlley Alves vs. Abus Magomedov
  • Vinicius Salvador vs. Adrian Yanez
  • Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Emily Ducote
  • Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Themba Gorimbo
  • Victor Martinez vs. Tom Nolan
  • Carlston Harris vs. Khaos Williams
  • Ariane Carnelossi vs. Piera Rodriguez
  • Rodolfo Bellato vs. Oumar Sy
  • Heili Alateng vs. Kleydson Rodrigues
  • Melissa Gatto vs. Tamires Vidal

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 241.

UFC books Hailey Cowan vs. Tamires Vidal for May event

Back on the UFC’s books is Hailey Cowan vs. Tamires Vidal, a fight initially scheduled for March 2023.

[autotag]Hailey Cowan[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tamires Vidal[/autotag] is back on the books.

Originally scheduled to fight in March 2023, Cowan (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) and Vidal (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will now fight May 18 at a UFC Fight Night event that does not yet have a known location. The initial meeting was canceled due to medical issues with Vidal.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Cowan, 32, made her long-awaited UFC debut in April after she earned a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022. A unanimous decision loss to Jamey-Lyn Horth snapped a two-fight winning streak.

Vidal, 25, also looks to bounce back from her first UFC loss. After an emphatic flying knee TKO over Ramona Pascual, Vidal lost a split decision to Montserrat Rendon in September.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for May 18 includes:

  • Angela Hill vs. Luana Pinheiro
  • Hailey Cowan vs. Tamires Vidal
  • Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Emily Ducote

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 14-20)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from Aug. 14-20.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (June 19-25)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from June 19-25.

UFC Fight Night 223 post-event facts: Song Yadong climbs KO list at 135 pounds

Check out the numbers to come out UFC Fight Night 223, where Song Yadong climbed the bantamweight knockout list with a main event finish.

The UFC closed its April schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 223 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The card, which was thin on paper, saw [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (20-7-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) shine in the main event when he outworked and eventually finished [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) with a fifth-round TKO in their bantamweight showdown.

For more on the numbers to come out of the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 223.

UFC Fight Night 223 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Marcos Rogerio de Lima tops card with $16k

UFC Fight Night 223 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 223 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $144,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 223 took place at the UFC Apex. The main card streamed on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN2.

The full UFC Fight Night 223 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Caio Borralho[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Fernando Padilla[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Waldo Cortes-Acosta[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Trey Waters[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Josh Quinlan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Martin Buday[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Irina Alekseeva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Stephanie Egger[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Marcus McGhee[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Journey Newson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jamey-Lyn Horth[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Hailey Cowan[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2231 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,556,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $17,145,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 223.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (March 20-26)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from March 20-26.

UFC on ESPN 43 news: Tamires Vidal out, Hailey Cowan’s debut delayed again

A medical issue has forced Tamires Vidal out of her scheduled UFC on ESPN 43 matchup against Hailey Cowan in San Antonio.

A late addition to UFC on ESPN 43 will no longer take place.

The promotion officially announced Thursday evening that [autotag]Tamires Vidal[/autotag] is out of her scheduled bout against [autotag]Hailey Cowan[/autotag] due to an undisclosed medical issue. The event taking place at AT&T Center in San Antonio will proceed with 12 bouts, as there will be no replacement for Cowan (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC).

Earlier this month, MMA Junkie first reported the booking, which was the final matchup to complete the card. The event airs on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+, beginning at 4 p.m. ET.

Vidal (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made her UFC debut in November, where she finished Ramona Pascual with a flying knee in the first round at UFC Fight Night 214.

Cowan, who was signed to the UFC from Dana White’s Contender Series, attempted to make her debut in February, but it fell through due to medical issues of her own. An ovarian cyst rupture forced the 31-year-old fighter to withdraw from the bout, leading to the booking against Vidal. Now, her debut will have to wait even longer.

The updated UFC on ESPN 43 lineup is as follows:

  • Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen
  • Holly Holm vs. Yana Santos
  • Nate Landwehr vs. Austin Lingo
  • Maycee Barber vs. Andrea Lee
  • Manel Kape vs. Alex Perez
  • Albert Duraev vs. Chidi Njokuani
  • Tucker Lutz vs. Daniel Pineda
  • Lucas Alexander vs. Steven Peterson
  • Trevin Giles vs. Preston Parsons
  • Daniel Da Silva vs. CJ Vergara
  • Trey Ogden vs. Manuel Torres
  • Victor Altamirano vs. Vinicius Salvador

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (March 6-12)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from March 6-12.