A former UFC fighter was arrested and taken into police custody on alleged gun violence charges.
There are many personalities both past and present to have competed under the UFC banner, but not many of them have been in trouble with the police due to gun violence. That was the case for former light heavyweight Vinny Magalhaes after he was arrested last week.
Authorities received domestic violence reports at a private residence in Las Vegas. After turning up, they were told Magalhaes threatened several family members with a firearm, though nobody has reported any injuries.
The Brazilian was later detained and is being charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon. Unfortunately for the retired MMA veteran, he could receive an 18-year jail sentence if found guilty of all three charges.
Vinny Magalhaes has already made one appearance in court and is booked to return on December 23 as his case continues.
Despite his recent problems, Magalhaes was a fantastic jiu-jitsu practitioner in his heyday, managing to win almost 80% of his mixed martial arts fights by way of submission.
While his current situation is dire, the 40-year-old is a loving family man who often publicly shows his love for his children.
Though most of his high-level fights in the sport came under the PFL banner, Magalhaes did spend some time competing inside the octagon.
The South American is a TUF alum, battling his way to the finale back in 2008. He would come up short against Ryan Bader and later be cut from the UFC after losing his debut to Elliot Marshall.
Three years later, Mahalhaes fought his way back into the UFC following a string of good performances elsewhere.
He would win his return bout by armbar before losing twice—one of those defeats coming against the well-rounded Phil Davis—and later being handed his release from the company.
The BJJ phenom last competed in 2021 for the PFL where his fight ended prematurely due to an illegal strike.