After past comes to light, Will Chope pulled from UFC Fight Night 38 lineup (Updated)
After some less-than-flattering background information became public on Saturday, Will Chope has been pulled from today’s UFC Fight Night 38 lineup and cut from the UFC roster.
Chope (19-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was scheduled to fight fellow featherweight Diego Brandao (18-9 MMA, 4-2 UFC) at Ginasio Nelio Dias in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. It was slated as the final FOX Sports 1-televised preliminary-card bout before the same channel carried the main card.
The cancellation and contract termination, first reported by Globo, came after Bleacher Report‘s recent report that Chope was kicked out of the U.S. Air Force after assaulting his wife and threatening her with a knife in November 2009. According to an Air Force Court of Appeals document, it wasn’t the only incident.
UFC officials today announced the bout’s cancellation and Chope’s contract termination.
“The UFC does not condone behavior of this nature whatsoever and Chope has been released from his contract,†a statement read.
With Chope off the card, UFC Fight Night 38 will go on with 11 bouts. His opponent, Brandao, will be paid his “show†money and “win†bonus, according to the UFC.
Chope posted the following update today on Facebook, though he was apparently unaware of the fight cancellation:
I fight today. But I just want to make a small post about what has been brought up last night. I made some mistakes in my past. The incidents happened 5 years ago and I will live with them for the rest of my life. But I just want everyone to know the articles are being sensationalized right now and me and my ex wife have spoken about this and we would like everyone to know that we are friends now and have moved on and are different people and are just trying to be good parents to our daughter. She also made a post on her personal page she is allowing me to share. I will make a formal address to this issue after the fight, but I hope this is suffice until then.
He also issued an apology to his opponent:
@DiegoBrandaoMMA
Im truly sorry we cant fight tonight Diego. I apologize to the @ufc as well and will do everything I can to make this right—
Will The Kill Chope (@AsiaWillTheKill) March 23, 2014
Chope, a Californian, made his UFC debut earlier this year at UFC Fight Night 34 and suffered a TKO loss to Max Holloway. Prior to the setback, the 23-year-old had posted a 14-fight winning streak while fighting primarily in Asia.
