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PROMOTER
SUSPENSION &
FINE
Charles Headley (Right) & Ms Tracy
Headley - PromotersINFO FROM SOURCE UNRELATED TO ISCF
PART 1
Bad Boy Promotions LLC's promoter, Charles Headley, was reportedly served an arrest warrant in Campbell County in Tennessee according to sources and the arresting detective, Stephanie Smith. For the moment, the charges are unclear. After the event that took place under the Bad Boy Promotions (BBP) at the Jacksboro National Guard Armory, anything negative that comes Headley's way, will not be a surprise to the MMA community. Despite my speaking with the detective herself, Headley denies being arrested.
I, Dizz, was lured to the event with the idea of covering a women's title fight. When I first spoke to Charles, he told me that Bas Ruten, Chuck Liddell, Nate and Nick Diaz, and the Guida brothers, Clay and Jason would be at the event. Also, Diego Sanchez was supposed to be at the event. After viewing the website, I kind of got this impression there was some smoke being blown my way.
In the initial conversation I had with Headley, he expressed his interest in my covering his event. "Gladly," I told him. As I asked him about accomodations he asked me, "Well, which ring card girl did you like?" Now anyone who knows what I was inquiring about knows I was talking about hotels, travel and meal per diems, not pimping your ring-card girls. One of which was married and the other had a boyfriend who she's been serious with.
Once I got to the hotel, I was set up with a room where I could sit down with the fighters first hand and interview them. All of them were very high spirited. As the evening molded into night, I started to notice a lack of control and a lack of rules for the fighters. Headley pretty much just allowed the fighters do what they wanted to. Fighters have their own routines the night before their bouts, sure. But excessive alcohol isn't "usually" one of them. That's usually the post bout rituals.
There were so many problems with the Bad Boy Promoted event that more truths unfold everyday. I mean, come on. There's a reason why the promoter was jailed....and I'm sure it wasn't because he forgot to switch his car insurance to Geico, if he could afford to pay it.
International Sport Combat Federation, or ISCF, allowed Headley to promote his event under their sanction. (*ISCF is not responsible for things that took place under the Bad Boy Promotions banner) ISCF is the largest mixed martial arts sanctioning body in the world. But even they couldn't control the events that took place over the weekend.
For starters, Headley promised certain fighters title fights. However, Bantamweight Champion Jojo Stringfield, Lightweight Champion Jason Wilt, Middleweight Champion William Bratz, Light Heavyweight Champion Kelly Anundson, Heavyweight Champion Moses Avery, and Women's Light Heavyweight Champion Danielle Kimery not only didn't get the pleasure of having a title wrapped around their waists, but due to some other issues raised from the event, they may not see titles from the bouts they just performed in.
Here are the chief complaints that have been verified by some sources: From Charles Headley, himself, commented to me on Tuesday, "I lost money with this event." That wasn't surprising to me with the observations I had made over the two days I was there. Not only did the card change numerous times before the event but so did weight classes certain bouts were to be performed. (i.e. The women's bout between Danielle Kimery and Heather Martin was changed from middleweight to light heavyweight 3 times)
Other than consumption of alcohol by a couple of the fighters the night before the fight, the fighters were told that they would be reimbursed for their mileage in fuel costs, per diem for their meals, and boarded in the hotel. A lot of the fighters didn't see that money back, for the fuel or their meals.
In one incident, Greggory Harmon was choked out in a nasty guillotine by Jason Wilt that had Harmon sent to the hospital to get his larynx checked out. Harmon told me today that the deductible for the insurance that Headley displayed to the ISCF came out of his own pocket. I'm happy to say that Harmon only had a strain larynx and his condition is good.
So, things appear to be bad. You haven't even heard the half of it. The fighters didn't have the best of facilities to practice or warm up for their bouts. Well, they didn't have good facilities to warm up in. It doesn't matter though. fighter will warm up anywhere under any condition, however, the fighters almost didn't have a cage to perform in.
Lionel Royer, tentatively called at the event "the cage guy", had his truck that was carrying the cage, broke down nearly 100 miles away from where the event took place. Royer said that Headley offered nothing to assist his arrival. Out of the $1,800 that was supposed to be paid out for the use of the cage (includes cage rental and travel) only $1000 of that was paid.
Reports have been circulating that ISCF officials didn't get paid the salary they were assured and according to one of the ring card girls, they didn't paid either. During the event, Andrew Headley, brother to Charles Headley, was competing in his bout with Davie Evans. Andrew Headley shot in on Evans and Evans connected with an uppercut. Evans tossed a hard combination Andrew's way that sent Headley to the mat. Notably, Andrew's nose was bleeding and Evans had jump on Andrew to finish the fight. Although, Andrew Headley was defending himself, Charles Headley jumped to the cage and had the referee stop the bout because of his brother's nose bleeding.
To me? Andrew was defending himself fine. On top of that, the blood from his nose was very minimal and not having any effect on his vision. Supposedly, Andrew Headley has a good ground game, and not to take anything away from Evans, but if the bout wasn't stop it was possible Andrew could've caught Evans in a submission.
That's not the only bout that Headley had an effect on. In the main event, women's title bout, between Danielle Kimery and Heather Martin, Martin had rolled to her stomach with Kimery in an armbar. Though promoters are supposed to refrain from being biased, I found Headley running up to the cage shouting instructions to Kimery on rolling out of the armbar attempt. Even if Kimery's wrestling abilities weren't in control on the ground, the MMA fan could only wonder.
Sunday night, after I had driven from Tennessee back home to Indiana, the hotel manager called me and asked me if I knew how to get a hold of Charles Headley........Would you like to know why? Would you like to know who wants to disaffiliate theirselves with Charles Headley and Bad Boy Promotions? Do you want to know the charges that are being brought up against Headley?
FIND OUT IN PART 2 OF THIS COVERAGE WITH IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS ! ! !
PART 2
Yesterday I had sensitively used the word "reportedly" in regards to Bad Boy Promoter Charles Headley's "alleged arrest". At the time yesterday the charges were unclear. Headley had put on an atrocity of an MMA promotion on March 28th. The promotion was the worst promotion an MMA enthusiast could've attended.
According to the arrest report reads as follows:
"This stated Detective (Stephanie Smith) with Caryville Police Department after further investigations of an incident that occured on 3-29-2009; where named violator (Charles Allen Headley) had an agreement with named complainant (Krunal A. Patel owner of the Econolodge in Caryville, TN) that he was reserving 30 rooms for the amount of $2100.00. Complainant stated that on that date the rooms reserved was occupied for the time reserved. Complainant stated that when the persons check out, the violator gave him a credit card and it was declined. The Violator then left the premises with the agreement that he would return with payment and did not return. Complainant then contacted 911 on 3-31-2009 that the violator was on the Econolodge property. Violator then left the property and J.P.D. then initiated the traffic stop. Detective arrived on the scene and cited the Violator with an "ARREST WARRANT" for said charges."
The night of March 31st, the hotel clerk describe Headley as coming to the Econo Lodge and trying to offer $50 dollars as a form of payment. The clerk told him he was going to get all of it and went back to the office to call 911. The 911 operator told the hotel clerk to keep him talking there so that the police department could arrive. When Headley finally had it with dealing with the hotel clerk, he left. That's when the police department had initiated a traffic stop and what was commenced in the report had taken place.
The charges that are being brought against Headley is "Theft of Services" (over $1000). In the state of Tennessee a amount ($2100.00) of this magnitude is a felony. After speaking with Detective Stephanie Smith today, Headley's looking at a B Felony.
As far as the B Felony that's looking Headley, the buck doesn't stop here. Once the disposition of this case is settled, Headley may be finding his 1st show under the International Sport Combat Federation (ISCF) may have been his last. After speaking with an ISCF official, Headley will have to settle ALL issues with the the March 28 event before even being "considered" for promoting another event. That's including his wife's name, Tracy Headley, being on the ISCF records as promoter of record.
But the Econo Lodge wasn't the only person or persons wronged by Headley. Not only was the people who brought the cage out $800 of the $1800 owed to them, they are also out the cost of what it is going to take to fix their truck that had broken down on the way from West Virginia to the venue according to Lionel Royer.
450, $400, and $350 were to be paid for the services of the three ring card girls in the bikini's for the night. According to ringcard girl Kaitlin Walker, none of the ringcard girls got paid for the event. "Oh well, I guess this was a learning experience," said Walker in regards to getting snubbed on her payment. Walker went on to comment, "What happened out in Jacksboro was RIDICULOUS, and everyone should know, in my opinion. I will NEVER be affiliated with Bad Boy EVER again, and it's left such a bad taste in my mouth that I'm not sure I'd be too eager to be a cage girl for another promoter. EVERYONE got taken advantage of in that situation."
Walker didn't stop there. She went on to say, "...even though I can complain all day long about not getting paid and about how I REALLY needed that money for school, I feel WORSE for the fighters--THEY are the ones that got the shaft here...Fighters that were promised titles that probably won't hold...They spent money out of pocket for expenses that they were PROMISED would be paid for....regardless of who is at fault, this event becomes a stain on EVERYONE'S record, that we ALL let one man fool us all. The dishonesty and deception of it all is disgusting...."
When you hold an event like this, you can tell who is about the fighters and who is in it for just themselves. ISCF officials felt an obligation to the fighters and agreed to only take 55% of their usual pay. This was so that the event could take place. ISCF officials were thinking about the fighters who drove more than 5 hours to make it to the venue and also for those fighters who trained their asses off to perform that night.
In regards to the titles, Bad Boy Promotions Light Heavyweight Champion Danielle "Big Guns" Kimery said of the issue, "It's not right. I wouldn't have done that fight. I just want what's mine." Understandable. Kimery also went on to say, "Well, it don't look like I will be fightin for him any more....I don't like backstabbers."
Bad Boy Promotion's Lightweight Champion Jason Wilts was also con'ed out of his title. Headley accused Wilts of getting paid for his :09 submission victory over Greggory Harmon. Wilts was intense with the conversation in my interview with him. "If I f*cking got paid for it, where's all this f*cking money I should've gotten." Wilts said he believed the reasoning behind not awarding him a title was because it would be "one less person on his ass"
Wilts also asked me, Dizz, to deliver a special message to Headley. Wilts comments, "If you talk to Charles before I do, YOU TELL THAT MOTHER F*CKER I BETTER HAVE MY TITLE BY FRIDAY ! ! "
With Wilts being a pro prospect and a red head.......yeah........bad combination....don't think I want him on my ass either. LMFAO Also in closing. I want to extend a thank you on behalf of the fighters to the ISCF for allowing the event for the fighters under the sub par circumstances. You all prove once again that the fighters come first.
Back to ISCF Promoter Suspension Page Click HERE.
