Bellator MMA cuts ties with Joe Vedepo following Iowa City arrest

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

MMA fighter, Joe Vedepo can add the title “former” to another organization. In light of his November 28th arrest which involved an alleged drunken brawl that left a police officer hospitalized, Bellator MMA has decided to cut all ties with him, as reported by MMA Fighting.

Vedepo was arrested in Iowa City, just 13 days after a TKO defeat at the hands of Muhammed Lawal. He was under a 1 fight deal with company options to extend the contract. He fought for the promotion seven times, ending up with a 4-3 record. He fought twice for the UFC in 2008 and 2009, losing both bouts to Alessio Sakara and Rob Kimmons.

In a separate report from MMA Junkie, Vedepo was found to have a blood alcohol level of .241 and allegedly fought through a taser blast during his scuffle with police trying to transfer him to another car. As of yesterday morning, an online records search indicated that Vedepo was no longer in custody.

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About the author

Stephie Haynes

Stephie Haynes has been covering MMA since 2005. She has also worked for MMA promotion Proelite and apparel brand TapouT. She hosted TapouT’s official radio show for four years before joining Bloody Elbow in 2012. She has interviewed everyone there is to interview in the fight game from from Dana White to Conor McGregor to Kimbo Slice, as well as mainstream TV, film and music stars including Norman Reedus, RZA and Anthony Bourdain. She has been producing the BE podcast network since 2017 and hosts four of its current shows.