MMA fighter Ahmad Hassanzada arrested for child sex crimes days before UFC debut
A mixed martial arts fighter has been charged with child sex crimes just days before he was scheduled to make his UFC debut.
Ahmad Hassanzada was scheduled to make his official debut in the Octagon this coming Saturday as the winner of Dana White's Contender series in September.
However, the 28-year-old Team Alpha Male fighter from Sacramento turned himself in to authorities over the weekend, according to jail records obtained by the Sacramento Bee.
Advertisement
3 Hassanzada was hit with the disturbing charges just days before he was set to make his UFC debut.
Zuffa LLC
3 Ahmad Hassanzada previously won UFC President Dana White's contender series.
Zuffa LLC
He is facing two felony charges: lewd acts with a child under 14 and lewd acts with a child 14- or 15-years-old, where the defendant is 10 years older than the victim, the records show.
Advertisement
Sacramento police have not offered additional details about the case given its 'sensitive nature.' However, a department spokesperson confirmed to the Bee that the charges stem from a probe launched early last year.
Hassanzada's bail was set at $400,000 and he is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday, jail records show.
Hassanzada is a 6-foot-1-inch lightweight and member of Team Alpha Male, an MMA squad fighting out of Urijah Faber's Ultimate Fitness gym in Sacramento, according to ABC 10.
He was scheduled to fight 32-year-old Mitch Ramirez on April 26 in Kansas City, according to an Instagram post he made earlier this year.
Advertisement
3 Ahmad Hassanzada during Dana White's Contender Series Season Eight, Week Six at UFC APEX on September 17, 2024 in Las Vegas.
Zuffa LLC
His debut is listed as April 26, 2025 on UFC's official website — but he does not appear on Saturday's fight card.
Hassanzada had won UFC CEO Dana White's Contender series in the fall, which won him a contract with the MMA league.
The Post has reached out to UFC for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Goal drought: Tigers stumble, Swans finally fire at MCG
Sydney have strangled Richmond for a badly needed 44-point win, keeping the Tigers goal-less for more than a half at the MCG. The Swans' slogging 11.14 (80) to 4.12 (36) win in cold conditions on Saturday was only their third in 11 visits to the MCG, punctuated by two heavy grand final losses over the past three years. Sydney's record improves to 5-8, giving their season a glimmer of hope. After last weekend's last-quarter fadeout against GWS, Richmond started brightly and led by 12 points at quarter time. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sydney Swans (@sydneyswans) But the rebuilding Tigers did not kick a goal from 19 minutes in the first quarter until 22 minutes into the last - unofficially a club record. All-Australian defender Nick Blakey, derided this week by some in the media as one of the season's biggest disappointments, was outstanding with 34 disposals and eight inside 50s. Isaac Heeney starred in the midfield and James Jordon played his role to perfection as a defensive forward on in-form Richmond defender Nick Vlastuin, kicking three goals. Tigers onballer Dion Prestia was on fire in the first quarter with 13 possessions, but James Rowbottom then paid him more attention and he only had 21 for the game. Sydney ruckman Brodie Grundy also had a day out, beating Richmond captain Toby Nankervis in another crucial match-up for the Swans. Brodie Grundy keeps it alive and kicks a ripper 🔥#AFLTigersSwans — AFL (@AFL) June 7, 2025 The longer the game went, the more apparent was Nankervis's frustration. Coming off big losses to Melbourne - at the MCG - and Adelaide at home, the Swans were in big trouble early. Richmond had 10 of the first 12 inside 50s and it was 10-4 at quarter time, with the tackle count also a lopsided 11-6 in the Tigers' favour. But Sydney made the game a scrap at the start of the second term and Heeney kicked a goal at 13 minutes to give them the lead. The Swans led by 14 points at the main break and they kicked 10 unanswered goals until Seth Campbell put through his second late in the final term.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
UFC 316: Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison odds, picks and predictions
UFC 316: Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison odds, picks and predictions In a 5-round women's bantamweight championship bout on the main card, Julianna Peña and Kayla Harrison meet Saturday at UFC 316 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The bout is expected to start approximately at 11:45 p.m. ET. Early prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+ / Disney+) with the prelims set for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN / ESPN+ / Disney+) and the main card slated for 10 p.m. ET (Pay-Per-View). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's UFC odds around the UFC 316: Peña vs. Harrison odds, and make our expert UFC picks and predictions. Records: Peña (13-5-0) | Harrison (18-1-0) Peña picked up the championship belt in December 2011 from Amanda Nunes at UFC 269, posting a Round-2 submission win. But then Peña lost the strap in the rematch at UFC 277 in a unanimous-decision setback July 2022. She was expected to face Nunes in a trilogy fight at UFC 289 in June 2023, but Peña suffered broken ribs in training and had to pull out. 'The Venezuelan Vixen' bounced back at UFC 307 after more than a 2-year layoff, topping Raquel Pennington for the belt via split decision at UFC 307 Oct. 5, 2024. After 3 consecutive fights ending via submission from October 2020 to December 2021 -- Peña went 2-1 -- she had back-to-back 5-round decisions -- the rematch loss to Nunes and the title win vs. Pennington. Peña has actually gone the distance 5 times in her past 9 bouts with her last KO/TKO win coming back in April 2015. So, that method can mostly be ignored when it comes to wagering. Harrison gets a crack at the title just 3 fights into her UFC career. She opened with a Round-2 submission of Holly Holm at UFC 300 April 2024, before stopping Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307 via unanimous decision last October. Harrison has 3 consecutive victories across all levels since losing a title bout in the 2022 PFL World Championships to Larissa Pacheco Nov. 25, 2022. Harrison has gone the distance 3 times in her past 4 pro bouts. The southpaw Harrison is 34 years old, and she has a 4.87-to-3.25 significant-strikes-landed-per-minute advantage in this matchup. However, Peña has a tremendous 56.25% takedown-accuracy percentage, and she does great work on the canvas. The champ also holds a 3-inch reach advantage, so she'll be able to push and pull the challenger out at her discretion. UFC 316: Peña vs. Harrison odds Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:43 a.m. ET. Fight result (2-way line) : Peña +475 (bet $100 to win $475) | Harrison -700 (bet $700 to win $100) : Peña +475 (bet $100 to win $475) | Harrison -700 (bet $700 to win $100) Total rounds: 3.5 rounds (Over +100 | Under -135) 3.5 rounds (Over +100 | Under -135) Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +175 | No +250) UFC 316: Peña vs. Harrison picks and predictions It's time for Harrison (-700) to ascend to the throne as champ, but it isn't as huge of a disparity as the sportsbooks are making it out to be. Peña (+475) is a huge underdog, which is stunning considering she is the current title holder. We saw Peña as a giant +600 underdog against Nunes at UFC 269 when she picked up the surprising round-2 submission win. She lost to Nunes in the rematch but rebounded to regain the title vs. Pennington. She has been through the emotions and been through the wars, which will be an advantage against Harrison, who just doesn't have that experience to tap into. PASS. Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now! Peña has 3 submission results in the past 5 fights, and 4 in the previous 7 outings since January 2017. For Harrison, she has 2 submission results in her past 5 pro fights. As such, betting SUBMISSION (+100) in "how the fight will end' method is a strong value at even-money ... and we don't need to worry about who is the winner. If you like the current champ, PEÑA BY SUBMISSION (+1200) on the 7-way line is a low-risk, high-reward possibility. OVER 3.5 ROUNDS (+100) is even-money is also a good play. Harrison is an upstart, and Peña has been going deep lately. She has gone the distance in the past 2 fights, and Harrison has gone the distance in 3 of the past 4 pro bouts. Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis. For more sports betting picks and tips, check out and BetFTW. Follow Daniel Dobish on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Aryna Sabalenka's Appearance in New Photos With Boyfriend is Turning Heads
Aryna Sabalenka's Appearance in New Photos With Boyfriend is Turning Heads originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Women's tennis World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is making sure she enjoys her time in Paris beyond just competing for another Grand Slam title at the French Open. Advertisement Prior to her quarterfinal match against Chinese sensation Qinwen Zheng, Sabalenka spent her day off with her entrepreneur boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis. Based on the photos the Belarusian star uploaded to Instagram on Monday, she and Frangulis visited the iconic Hermes boutique at 24 rue Faubourg Saint-Honore 24. It is where the popular rooftop garden in Paris is located, and Sabalenka took several photos from her trip to the iconic landmark. "An @hermes garden is the best garden," she wrote in the caption of her post. Aside from fans commenting on the several boxes of Hermes merchandise she bought, many also took notice of Sabalenka's appearance with her boyfriend. Advertisement The 28-year-old was wearing a simple red shirt paired with wide-leg denim pants, giving off a relaxed vibe. Her supporters also noted how happy she looked. "You are glowing girl," a commenter wrote. Another one said, "U look so cuteeeeee." A fan praised her color of choice for her outfit, noting, "red is ur collor!!" "Loveee this outfit," a fourth fan stated. "We love ur smile!!!!" a supporter added. A follower remarked, "Beautiful," while another social media user echoed a similar sentiment, saying, "You look super beautiful Aryna." Aryna Sabalenka reacts after missing a shot against Zheng Qinwen.© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Sure enough, it looked like the time she spent away from tennis helped Sabalenka, as she went on to beat Zheng in their quarterfinal showdown on Tuesday, 7-6(3), 6-3. Advertisement Sabalenka will face Iga Swiatek next at the French Open semifinals. Should she keep dominating, fans will probably see more of her off-court adventures in Paris in the next few days. Related: Aryna Sabalenka's Behavior After French Open Match is Turning Heads This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
