Jump to
Ari Emanuel is the leading man for this week’s Crime Desk; the feature where I collate news involving combat sports, martial arts (and sports entertainment) that intersect with crime. After Vince McMahon resigned from TKO, amid truly horrifying claims made against him in a lawsuit, Emanuel is left with trying to salvage the reputation (and more importantly, for him, the profitability) of his burgeoning WWE + UFC empire.
Insiders are claiming Ari Emanuel’s next move will be to cut loose anyone who could be tied to the despicable acts McMahon is accused of.
This week there’s also an update on former UFC champ Jamahal Hill and his domestic assault case and news of a fighter being sentenced to death over protests in Iran.
Ari Emanuel to clean house at TKO?
Last week news broke that a former WWE employee had made shocking claims against former WWE owner Vince McMahon. Among those claims were that McMahon forced the employee to participate in sex acts to secure and maintain her position in the company. Additionally, it is claimed that McMahon trafficked the employee to other individuals within the company. Another claim detailed in the lawsuit is that McMahon offered the employee to Brock Lesnar, as a sexual partner, to convince him to re-sign with the WWE instead of the UFC.
The plaintiff also accused McMahon of degrading her and inflicting pain during sexual encounters.
Vince McMahon resigned from his position within TKO (the company made when Ari Emanuel merged the WWE and UFC under his Endeavor company) after this lawsuit was reported on by The New York Times. McMahon had previously resigned from the WWE in 2022 when he was accused of paying hush money to multiple women to cover up sexual assaults and extramarital affairs.
McMahon returned from that retirement after six months to marshal through the WWE’s sale to Ari Emanuel’s Endeavor company. McMahon was then elevated to a position on TKO’s board of directors. After this McMahon continued to play a role at both the WWE and UFC. His work for the UFC included securing a deal for the promotion to make its debut in Saudi Arabia this year.
Pro wrestling news site PWInsider claimed that McMahon’s last visit to WWE HQ was on January 23, where he met with Nick Khan, Paul Levesque and Dwayne Johnson and addressed WWE staff. That was two days before The New York Times reported on the lawsuit.
That outlet also spoke to sources inside WWE/TKO to discuss what Endeavor chief Ari Emanuel might do next.
On Friday, there was also a belief (and depending on who you are, perhaps a concern) internally that Endeavor might seek to sweep out anyone close to Vince McMahon and whatever remaining support team he still had in place in order to have a complete “fresh start” for the company going forward.
There were employees who exited the company when Vince initially resigned that were part of his personal team who returned when he forced his way back in. For those that have remained with WWE post-Endeavor purchase, the belief among those we’ve spoken with is that a connection to McMahon may be a major negative going forward for their WWE status. There are a lot of people waiting to see how this shakes out in the days ahead.
As one source noted to me this morning, “if anyone believes for a second” that Endeavor owner Ari Emanuel wanted to discover the type of allegations brought forth in the Janel Grant lawsuit, not just about a company he purchased – but a company that has been employing his own daughter at WWE HQ for several years – they “don’t know Emanuel” and they don’t understand how “ferociously he will eradicate” anything that needs to be taken care of to protect his businesses.
The same source noted that if Emanuel was willing to walk away from Saudi Arabia investments years ago without “blinking an eye”, he’ll have no problem “removing anything and anyone still remaining” that could potentially hurt or impact WWE’s business going forward.
The reality is, as anyone who works for WWE now will privately attest, it’s not the same company it was before Endeavor took it over. Not from a culture perspective. Not from a corporate perspective. That truth has pained some who work there (and some who have departed) since Endeavor took over, because the world there changed. But, that also means there’s not going to be a protection for anyone just because they were in Vince McMahon’s – or anyone’s – inner circle. That’s not how the company operates. Not anymore.
PWInsider.com
Jamahal Hill offered plea deal in domestic violence case
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill has been offered a plea deal by a court in Kent County, MI in relation to an alleged domestic assault against his brother James Hill Jr. (per TMZ). A police arrest report stated that Hill is accused of attacking his brother after he engaged his brother and sister-in-law to clean a house for $300. It is alleged that Hill struck his brother after the argument over the cleaning boiled over into criticism of Hill’s parenting and his treatment of women. Hill’s three children were present during this incident.
The deal offered to Hill stipulates that he pleads guilty to one charge of domestic violence in exchange for a dismissal of a more serious aggravated domestic violence charge.
MMA fighter accused of manslaughter arrested for assault
Ross Allen Johnson, 24, was arrested in Oklahoma this week and is expected to be extradited to Nashville, TN to face a charge of assault (per My Panhandle). Johnson is accused of being involved in a violent confrontation with a University of Illinois baseball coach inside a bar.
Johnson is already facing manslaughter charges in Panama City Beach, FL over a bar brawl that resulted in the death of 31-year-old U.S. airman Dayvon Larry on April 10, 2023. Johnson is accused of sucker punching Larry on the back of his head in a bar parking lot. Larry fell from the impact and suffered a fatal brain injury and skull fracture.
The incident in Nashville is believed to have taken place before the incident in Panama City Beach. Prior to this most recent arrest, Johnson had been free on bail after securing a $250,000 bond.
Crime Blotter
RIZIN fighters arrested on suspicion of hooliganism
Azerbaijan based fighters Tofiq Musayev, Mehman Manedov and Vulgar Karamov, and their coach Ruslan Efendiyev, have been arrested in Baku on suspicion of hooliganism. Musaev is a former RIZIN lightweight grand prix champion, with wins over Daron Cruickshank, Damien Brown and Patricky Pitbull. He last fought in November, at RIZIN Landmark 7 in Baku. Manedov and Karamov were also on that card. Karamov appeared in the main event, unsuccessfully challenging Chihiro Suzuki for the featherweight title.
Iranian boxing champ sentenced to death in Iran
Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, 27, has been sentenced to death for allegedly protesting about petrol price inflation in Iran. Sani is a former provincial boxing champion. He was arrested in 2021 amid widespread protests in Iran. Sani also reportedly protested the Iranian military’s shooting down of a Ukranian passenger plane, which caused the death of 176 people. (full story)
Two arrested in connection with murder of pro boxer
Jayvon Thomas, 20, and Lavar Hunter, 19, were arrested in Maryland last week in connection to the shooting death of professional boxer Anwar Wingate, 24. Authorities are calling the killing a ‘robbery gone wrong’. Wingate was allegedly shot in the neck as he tried to fight off Thomas and Hunter. Thomas and Hunter have entered not guilty pleas over this case. (full story)
Pro MMA fighter arrested for threatening police officer
Armandas Zilys, 26, was arrested in Dublin and accused of threatening to kill a female garda officer. Zilys allegedly told the officer that “my right hand will knock you out” and that “if you touch me, I’ll kill you.” While making these alleged threats, Zilys is accused of talking up his credentials as an MMA fighter. (full story)
MMA fighter accused of attacking passersby in Dublin
Zilys isn’t the only Dublin-based fighter in trouble this week. David McCarthy, 32, was sentenced to five months in prison for threatening and attacking random strangers on a beach-side promenade in 2022. During this incident McCarthy launched himself at a dog walker and tried to hit him with flying spin kicks. (full story)
MMA fighter pleads guilty to assaulting woman
Former King of the Cage fighter Frank Schuman plead guilty to substantial battery in Vilas County, Wisconsin this week. Schuman now faces the possibility of a three and a half year prison sentence. Though, the sentence could be upgraded since Schuman’s offence meets the criteria for domestic abuse in Wisconsin. Schuman has been charged with multiple other counts of assault in the last few years. (full story)
Palate Cleanser
I think we really need a palate cleanser after all that. And I’m going classical with this one. I don’t know much about classical music, but I know what I like. And I like Chopin. So here’s 24 hours of it. Enjoy!
Survivors of sexual assault can find support via the following organizations:
US – Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)’s National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). RAINN also has an online chat service.
Love is Respect, 1-866-331-9474. They can also be reached via online chat or by texting LOVEIS to 22522.
End Rape on Campus (EROC), 1-424-777-EROC (3762).
Canada – Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime, 1-877-232-2610.
UK – UK Says No More.
Rest of the World – International Rape Crisis Hotlines.
Join the new Bloody Elbow
Our Substack is where we feature the work of writers like Zach Arnold, John Nash and Karim Zidan. We’re fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. Please help us by subscribing today.
About the author
