In a major update to a story we’ve been following since uncovering the information during the Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey event, Brandon Saling, a convicted sex offender with a tattoo featuring Neo-Nazi symbolism, has had his fighter license suspended. In our original coverage we touched on how Saling’s “88” tattoo is symbolic for “Heil Hitler” (H being the 8th letter of the alphabet) and followed that up with information about Saling being convicted in the sexual assault of a girl under 13 and a domestic violence conviction some years later.
It appears that Saling failed to disclose those convictions when applying for his license and, thus, is in a good deal of trouble with the state and it is unlikely he ever fights again Luke Thomas broke the news over at MMA Fighting a short time ago:
After causing a stir on Saturday at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey, welterweight Brandon Saling’s tenure in Strikeforce was short-lived. It turns out there may also not be much time left in his mixed martial arts career. According to commissioner Bernie Profato of the Ohio Athletic Commission (OAC), Saling’s fighter license has been revoked.
Profato told MMA Fighting Saling falsified information on his application for a license by failing to disclose he had “ever been convicted of a crime other than a traffic offense”. The ommission puts Saling in violation of Administrative Code 3773-1-09, clause F, of the bylaws governing MMA in Ohio, which states a fighter’s license can be suspended or revoked if he or she “has violated any law with respect to any sports regulated by the commission or any rule or order of the commission or has been convicted of a felony.”
…
“Obviously this guy is never going to fight for us again,” UFC President Dana White told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani. “For this guy to ever get licensed again he’d have to go before a hearing for the athletic commissions and I find it hard to believe that this guy will ever be licensed again. He better go find another job.”
This should put an end to any of the debate over the “he served his time, let him fight” vs. “convicted sex offenders with Nazi symbolism aren’t good for promotions or TV” nonsense. Saling was clearly covering up his past in an attempt to build a fighting career and thus was putting promotions in jeopardy of significant damage to their reputation.
You don’t just “forget” that you spent time in jail for rape and domestic violence.
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