MMA Fighters Arrested For Disturbing Crimes

The world of mixed martial arts is a world of violence, pain, and a constant battle for power. So it's no wonder that over the years, many MMA fighters have been arrested for various crimes ranging from assault and battery to drug possession. But there are criminals and then there are, you know, criminals. Sometimes an MMA fighter goes over the line and does something so egregious, you have to question the nature of the sport itself. Here's a look at some of the most disturbing crimes mixed martial artists have been arrested for. Prepare yourselves...some of these are pretty gruesome.

Lee Murray began a life of crime well before he first stepped into the octagon, becoming a drug dealer and street tough while still in school. He was eventually convicted on possession charges, but managed to avoid serious jail time. After a sting operation bagged most of his drug dealer cronies. Murray decided to go on the straight and narrow by becoming a professional MMA fighter, where he earned the nickname "Lightning" due to his quick takedowns en route to a pro record of 9-2-1 in various leagues and competitions.

But then things went sour. After being stabbed nearly to death, he was forced to retire, and instead got caught up in one of Britain's most infamous crimes: the Securitas Depot robbery. Murray and a gang of accomplices kidnapped the manager of a bank, holding his family hostage in order to force him to open the vault. Murray and his gang then made off with an astonishing £53 million. His success was short lived, though; three months later the cops caught up with him and he's now serving out a 25-year jail sentence.

Viacheslav Datsik was never the best mixed martial artist in the world, but you have to give him credit for trying. Despite continually getting beaten down, the Russian heavyweight kept plugging away, eventually grinding out a 6-9 record before finally switching to kickboxing after losing six MMA bouts in a row. And he did pretty well with his feet, going 6-1 before mysteriously disappearing off the face of the Earth.

Then he reappeared and things got really, really weird. Turns out he was involved in a larceny ring that centered on stealing cell phones. After being arrested, he was sent to a psychiatric clinic, which he escaped from by literally tearing a metal fence apart with his bare hands. He then snuck into Norway on a boat, held an interview with Norwegian television where he declared himself a racist and Nazi supporter, and then turned himself into the cops while requesting political asylum. That bold maneuver didn't exactly work. After being extradited to Russia, he spent six years in prison, apparently training for a comeback. Well, that's less crazy than some of his other plans, anyway.

It's almost easier to list the crimes that Jonathan "War Machine" Koppenhaver hasn't committed than the ones he has. A contestant on SpikeTV's Ultimate Fighter 6 reality show, Koppenhaver compiled a career record of 14-5. But he was also thrown out of the UFC for being a jerk, which is not easy to do, while also putting together a rap sheet that included four different instances of assault.

Koppenhaver spent a couple years in jail for those attacks, but then he outdid even himself on the epic loser scale. In 2014, he was arrested on 34 counts including rape and attempted murder for an attack on his ex-girlfriend, adult film star Christy Mack, who suffered 18 broken bones and numerous other serious injuries. He then laughed at her in court, and claimed as part of his defense that you can't rape porn stars, because it's part of their job. He's currently in prison, still awaiting trial after a botched suicide attempt pushed back the hearings.