UFC Fighter Charged With Pistol-Whipping Strip Club Employee

Cops charged Diego Brandão with battery and assault charges Friday after the UFC featherweight allegedly hit an Albuquerque strip club employee in the face with a handgun.

Brandão allegedly got into an argument with a D.J. at Knockouts Gentlemen’s Club in downtown Albuquerque before being barred from the establishment; he reportedly attempted to force his way in with punches, and later a handgun:

Brandao reportedly pointed the gun at the patron’s chest and then at the employee before striking him in the face with the butt of the handgun, police said. The man said Brandao pointed the gun at the group once more before walking back to his vehicle, according to the complaint.

Brandão trains at the nearby Jackson-Wink MMA gym. He’s currently under suspension after failing a drug test for marijuana earlier this year; in 2011, he was The Ultimate Fighter champion.

[ Albuquerque Journal]