Will Chope and Ray Rice Situations Highlight the UFC and NFL’s Differing Approaches To Domestic Violence In Their Midst

By Raphael Garcia

In January 2003 the Ultimate Fighting Championship instituted a fighter’s code of conduct, intended to outline how fighters are expected to perform as public figures under contract. Not behaving in accordance with the code would result in penalties, including being released from the organization. However, when the policy was instituted, most fans and observers expected there to be wiggle room for the UFC in terms of how it

was enforced. After all, the unwritten rules of professional sports are often hazy and confusing, as it is commonplace for star athletes to “get off” with minor punishments for offenses that would cost the common man and woman significant jail time and civil fees. Although star athletes are expected to comport themselves as professionals, it’s clear that the rules that govern their world are quite different from those in everyday life. However, the recent application of the conduct policy by the UFC suggests that it will take an even stricter line than other professional sports.

Yesterday, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was indicted for third degree aggravated assault in connection with a physical altercation with his fiancee on February 15, where he is alleged to have struck and knocked her unconscious. The Ravens organization has released a statement in support of its star player, and Ravens owner Steve Biscotti has said that Rice still has a future with the team.

In contrast, last weekend the UFC released featherweight Will Chope mere hours before his UFC Fight Night 38 bout against Diego Brandao, after word came out through the MMA media that the 19-6 fighter had been discharged from the Air Force in 2009 due to domestic violence. The move was applauded by the MMA media and its community of online fans, as it seems that the UFC is taking a stand against these kinds of offenses. At the time of the decision, the UFC released this statement about his release:

“Tonight’s featherweight bout between Will Chope and Diego Brandao has been canceled after UFC officials were made aware of Chope’s previous military conviction. The UFC does not condone behavior of this nature whatsoever and Chope has been released from his contract.”

This decision comes on the heels of the release of Thiago Silva, whose March 15 bout with Ovince St. Preux at UFC 171 was canceled after Silva’s February 6 arrest for holding his estranged ex-wife and others at gunpoint, less than a week after an incident where he allegedly held a gun in her mouth and threatened to kill her. This too was met with a swift and decisive response, as he was released less than 24 hours later, and will reportedly never fight in the UFC again.

However, the situations of Chope and Silva are distinguished in a number of ways. Silva’s incident happened while he was signed to the roster, while Chope’s happened in 2009, when he was 18 years of age. Silva’s criminal charges remain pending, while Chope was convicted, sentenced, incarcerated, and discharged for his crime. And notably, Chope’s ex-wife, the victim, has released statements of support for the fighter via Facebook.

At face value, Chope’s release is a very positive move by the executives behind the UFC. However, there’s still a question that needs to be answered: Would they have reacted the same way if this was a big name player on their roster?

When UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones was arrested in 2012 for DUI after crashing his new Bentley while intoxicated, UFC President Dana White called the fighter’s integrity into question, but still showed some belief that he would mature into a better person from the whole situation. Jones wasn’t fined, suspended or punished in any way – at least not publicly – for his actions. This was admittedly before the conduct policy was instituted, and the UFC has taken a lax approach to fighter DUIs in the past, but it does still raise questions about whether a double standard would exist under the policy.

UFC lightweight Abel Trujillo has twice pleaded guilty to domestic abuse, but those incidents are even less recent than Chope’s. However, based on recent precedent, the UFC seems to have put itself in a position that if news comes out regarding a fighter’s domestic violence — whether in the present or the past – the organization has to cut that fighter on the spot, or run the risk of being perceived as engaging in blatant favoritism.

Chope’s situation highlights some of the UFC’s lapses where background checks are concerned. In 2013, the organization signed Benjamin Brinsa, a German fighter with alleged Neo-Nazi ties. Once the situation was brought to light, he was cut him from his contract on the spot. However, it doesn’t answer the question as to how he was signed in the first place. If Chope lied at some point about his background when he was brought on as a UFC fighter, then the organization obviously has the right to take action against him. However, the company should also be taking additional steps to research who these fighters are before allowing them to compete in the Octagon.

Domestic violence is a despicable act that should not be accepted in any shape or form, and if the organization plans on taking a firm stance against it, that is to be commended. However, other sports organizations have had difficulties maintaining such a stance, amid questions about due process or whether criminal penalties are sufficient, or concerns about double standards for its stars. Even with a fighter as low-profile as Chope, these questions are being raised. It remains to be seen whether the UFC’s approach would be consistent for a fighter with a stature comparable to Ray Rice’s on the Ravens. After all, who can forget that boxing’s current pound-for-pound PPV king, Floyd Mayweather, has a well-documented domestic violence history? For the UFC’s sake, its executives had better hope that one of their star fighters doesn’t put them in a position to put principle before profit anytime soon.