#BREAKING – A Waco-area MMA coach is accused of sexually
abusing a girl he was training over a three year period, an
affidavit states. INFO: https://t.co/QO5jWq34GN pic.twitter.com/O1P9ipCrJs— KWTX News 10 (@kwtx)
May 20, 2024
Jacob Brennan, the husband and coach of UFC fighter Hailey
Cowan, has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a
minor.
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According to a report from KWTX 10, Brennan was arrested and booked into
McLennan County (Texas) Jail on May 19 after a woman accused him of
touching her inappropriately between 2013 and 2015. The victim was
13 years old at the time of the alleged abuse, while Brennan was
30. Brennan has been charged with indecency with a child with
sexual contact, a second-degree felony in Texas that carries a
sentence between two and 20 years.
Brennan, who is now 40, is the owner of Next Generation MMA/Blitz
MMA in Waco. According to an affidavit, the victim told
investigators that Brennan “kissed her hundreds of times and
touched her vagina above and below her clothes hundreds of times
between 2013 and 2015.” The alleged abuse happened in “various
rooms thoughout the gym almost every day.” The victim met with
police on Nov. 2, 2023 to tell them about the alleged sexual
abuse.
The victim also provided investigators with Facebook messages from
Brennan where he wrote that “he loved her” and “spoke about kissing
her.” According to the report, members of the gym who become aware
of the abuse confronted Brennan. The coach “gave conflicted stories
to them and appeared to be lying about the nature of the messages,”
per the affidavit.
Cowan married Brennan in 2022. After earning a contract on Dana
White’s Contender Series in 2022, Cowan dropped a unanimous
decision to Jamey-Lyn
Horth in her Octagon debut at UFC on ESPN 45 in April 2023. She
hasn’t fought since that loss.