Police take action after UFC star Dan Hooker held wild fight event in his own backyard - then blasted 'lefties having a sulk' after shocking footage came to light
Hooker put up a $50,000 prize for the 'one-minute scrap' tournament at his Auckland home on May 24, attracting 32 amateur fighters who punched each other on his lawn while his elderly neighbours watched on in disbelief over the fence.
One of the fighters, Jon Paul 'Fightdog' Te Rito, was filmed winning fights at the unregulated event, and was referred to police because he was allegedly supposed to be attending a rehabilitation program at the time.
Te Rito - who was seen wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet while fighting and is a member of the Mongrel Mob gang - could have broken his bail conditions, a Department of Corrections representative said.
The fighter was referred to police over the matter, leading to Hooker stepping in.
The 35-year-old wrote a letter supporting Te Rito, claiming the event was a 'platform for self expression, and a healthy outlet to cope with life's pressures'.
'Physical activity is a proven tool to help men overcome mental health issues, such as depression or addiction,' he wrote.
'It can be more productive than an unrelatable counselling session.'
Hooker posted his letter to Instagram with the caption, 'Today 'Fightdog' was released from custody.
'The judge ruled his attendance at my event did not breach his bail and he was able to return home.'
The post came with a photo appearing to show Hooker and Te Rito's supporters celebrating outside a courthouse.
Hooker's event came in for harsh criticism after he released a video of all 30 of the tournament fights on YouTube.
New Zealand Boxing Coaches Association president Billy Meehan told Checkpoint the event was 'straight-out thuggery'.
'What you've got there is just thugs getting in there and going out and they're just like absolutely smashing each other, and we're going to see somebody get seriously hurt, if not killed,' Meehan said.
'It's just barbaric, the biggest issue is the people getting in the ring half the time aren't conditioned enough to be there, they aren't matched correctly.'
Hooker got his fellow Kiwi UFC star Israel Adesanya to help him promote the event by telling fighters and fans, 'Bring the family, bring the whanau [Māori for extended family], come watch, you'll get knocked out or knock someone the f*** out.'
Hooker reacted to the criticism by saying only one fighter got hurt and what happened in his backyard didn't break any laws.
'There's a few lefties having a sulk, but once everyone watches the full 45 minutes and sees the respect for the fighters, since when did putting gloves on in the backyar and having a punch-up become illegal?' he told popular MMA program the Ariel Helwani Show.
'It's being run by some of the most experienced combat sports people in the country.
'I knew everyone would think it was crazy, I knew there would be people who would have issues with it. I wanted it at my house so I could control it.
'There were a couple [of] bumps, a couple [of] scrapes, obviously a few of the boys were run through concussion protocol.'
Hooker added that he believes his bouts were safer than boxing because he had a three-second knockdown rule in place and fights were called off if one competitor suffered two knockdowns, leaving the pugs 'a lot less banged up' than if they'd fought over multiple three-minute rounds in the ring.
Critics of the backyard brawl-fest have had the opposite of their desired effect, with the lightweight UFC star saying their actions have convinced him to stage another tournament.
The Kiwi UFC star (pictured weighing in for a fight last year) has been spurred on to hold more beatdowns in his backyard
'Now you've challenged me. I was going to leave it but now there are people trying to stop me,' he said.
'Now I am honour-bound and forced to pursue it.'
Cameron Harcourt, who fought in the event, gave it his full backing.
'We're going to fight anyway,' he said.
'There's fights out in the streets ... if you had beef, you apply for this and you jump in, and it gives us a place to do it in a controlled environment.
'The thuggery is taken out and we've turned it into a sport.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
3 hours ago
- Times
Scotland find a way to repel second-half Maori onslaught
Making life difficult for themselves has become something of an art form for Scotland down the years. Escaping from tight spots has been a harder habit to acquire — but that is precisely what they did to secure victory in the opening match of their Pacific Tour. While the Maori All Blacks came close to the winning score in a frantic seven minutes of time added on, Gregor Townsend's team deserved to hold out. They had led 24-12 at half-time at the Semenoff Stadium in Whangarei, then stretched their lead by a further five points early in the second half. Even after the Maori hit back and closed to within three points, the tourists looked like running the clock down in comfort. Instead, they conceded a penalty 30 seconds from the end of normal time, and had to withstand a furious onslaught before eventually turning over possession and kicking dead. 'The good thing is we found a way to win,' Townsend, the head coach, said. 'It was probably beyond expectations that we were so far ahead, knowing what the Maori did last week in Japan,' he continued, referring to the 53-20 win against a Japan XV in Tokyo. 'We knew that they would come back, and it looked like they had the momentum at the end. 'We decided to put a team out tonight that wasn't as experienced, knowing that it'll be a great development and learning experience for them. But we also wanted to win this game and we're so pleased that we did win the game and how we set that win up in the first half — how clinical we were. 'And then the pressure around set piece and our defensive effort at the end saw us through. So we're really pleased that the tour starts on a positive.' If that late penalty concession was an unnecessary complication, the real difficulty came earlier in the second 40, when Scotland could only score five points against opponents who had two men sent to the sin-bin within a minute of each other. That minor advantage was wiped out within a minute of the pair returning, swinging the momentum firmly back in favour of the Maori. However, notwithstanding such defects, the match has to go down as a major success for Scotland, with the only real downside being a late concussion which rules Gregor Brown out of Saturday's game against Fiji. Townsend had chosen to rest some key players with a view to keeping them fresh for the forthcoming full internationals against Fiji and Samoa, which count for world ranking points, unlike this non-cap match. So it was an inexperienced team that lined up to face the Maori for the first time since the 2000 tourists lost by three points. And perhaps that lack of experience showed in an uncertain start that saw the home side take the lead after only 49 seconds when Sam Nock scored an unconverted try off a counterattack. Scotland steadily got back into the game, however, and took the lead when Harry Paterson won the chase into in-goal after Ollie Smith had chipped ahead. Adam Hastings converted, then added a penalty as the visitors' domination grew. Next, George Horne got the first of his two tries, like Paterson winning a race to the line from a kick, this time supplied by Rory Hutchinson. Hastings' conversion made it 5-17. Scotland had given Fin Richardson a first appearance from the start, and, after Ben Muncaster was taken off with a dead leg, Alex Masibaka became the second debutant, to be joined later by a third, Fergus Burke. Masibaka had an inauspicious start, being sin-binned after collapsing the maul, but in the second half his meaty contribution proved crucial to the defensive effort. Isaia Walker-Leawere had touched down for the Maori just before Masibaka's dismissal, with Rivez Reihana converting. However, the tourists ended the half on top, and Arron Reed got their third try after another clever kick through from Smith. Hastings' conversion ended the half. The opening stages of the second half should have seen Scotland make the most of their momentum, as first Masibaka returned and then Te Kamaka Howden and Zarn Sullivan were carded for defensive offences. But a knock-on by Hastings ended one gilt-edged opportunity to score against the 13 men, and a lost lineout put paid to another chance. Still, after failing to score the easy way, Scotland succeeded in doing so in more difficult fashion, as Horne touched down at the end of a magnificent counterattack from deep. Hastings failed to convert, but at 12-29 the lead looked solid enough. Or at least it did until Kurt Eklund, the home captain, scored from a lineout maul, and Reihana's conversion made it a ten-point game. With around quarter of an hour still to play, that became three points. Gideon Wrampling touched down on the far left after the Scots defence had been stretched to breaking point, and Kaleb Trask, on for Reihana, added the two points. Scotland reasserted themselves after that setback, and had a lot of promising possession deep inside Maori territory. Had they scored a fifth try then, that would surely have been game over. Instead, in the end, they had to resort to that last-ditch defence. It may have been undisciplined enough, in terms of the laws, for the referee to send Cameron Henderson to the sin-bin. But in terms of structure and tenacity, it was spot on. Star player George Horne (Scotland). Scorers: Maori All Blacks: Tries Nock (1min), Walker-Leawere (31), Eklund (57), Wrampling (66). Cons Reihana 2, Trask. Scotland: Tries Paterson (11), Horne 2 (24, 53), Reed (39). Pen Hastings (16). Cons Hastings 3. Maori All Blacks Z Sullivan; C Forbes (C Evans 58), B Sullivan, G Wrampling, D Rona; R Reihana (K Trask 58), S Nock (K Hauiti-Parapara 70); J Proffit (P Rakete-Stones 54), K Eklund (capt; J Devery 64), K Sykes-Martin (B Kumeroa 54), A Shalfoon (L McWhannell 54), I Walker-Leawere, T Howden, J Brown, C Grace. Scotland O Smith; H Paterson, R Hutchinson, S McDowall (capt), A Reed; A Hastings (F Burke 61), G Horne (J Dobie 61); N McBeth (A Hepburn 50), P Harrison (G Turner 50), F Richardson (W Hurd 50), M Sykes (M Williamson 50), C Henderson, J Bayliss, A Onyeama-Christie (G Brown 70, Onyeama-Christie 78), B Muncaster (A Masibaka 29). Yellow cards: Maori All Blacks Howden (46-56), Sullivan (47-57). Scotland Masibaka (32-42), Henderson (85). Referee Nika Amashukeli (Georgia). Attendance 10,100.
BreakingNews.ie
8 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Andy Farrell felt NSW Waratahs deliberately watered pitch to hinder Lions
Andy Farrell suggested the Allianz Stadium pitch had been deliberately watered to assist the New South Wales Waratahs as his British and Irish Lions toiled to an ugly 21-10 victory. The Lions produced comfortably their worst performance of the tour two weeks out from the first Test against the Wallabies with Huw Jones' two tries and an important touch down by Alex Mitchell among the few highlights. Advertisement Sydney was hit by a 'bomb cyclone' earlier in the week, leading to heavy rain and gale force winds, but Farrell suspected skulduggery from the Waratahs in an attempt to even up the game. 'We're not there we're getting there.' 🦁📈 Today's MOTM, Alex Mitchell 🏅 Watch every game live on @SkySports . #Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 5, 2025 And a conversation with Mike Catt, one of Farrell's coaching lieutenants with Ireland who is now in charge of the Waratahs' attack, appeared to confirm his suspicions. 'The pitch was very wet and I was asking Mike Catt after the game and he was laughing,' head coach Farrell said. 'I mean, that's good tactics from them isn't it? The ball's slippy, the breakdown's ferocious enough and the line speed is high octane stuff as well from them. Advertisement 'I mean, he just laughed. Catty just laughed. We've seen that done plenty of times. I don't know whether the pitch needed watering.' Huw Jones scored two of the Lions' tries (Robbie Stephenson/PA) When it was put to Farrell that Sydney had been hit by storms until Wednesday, he replied: 'We know all that, but we have been here for two days now and it has been glorious. The pitch was OK and we are not complaining. 'It is good, isn't it? That is what you would do if you are waiting for this type of game to come – it's huge for all the clubs. 'We know what is coming and we have got to be ready for anything and able to adapt.' Advertisement The Waratahs laughed off Farrell's concerns about the pitch, with captain Hugh Sinclair declaring: 'See the weather on Tuesday? That sucked.' Waratahs coach Dan McKellar added: 'No, no, no. I'd too much to think about to be worried about watering the pitch. Andy was probably sunning himself in Brisbane on Tuesday.' For all his gripes about the pitch, Farrell was quick to admit the Lions' error-ridden performance against a side that fought hard in the air and on the floor was a bad day at the office. 'There's a bit of frustration there. It's nice to get a win but at this stage we're trying to judge the performance a little bit more,' said Farrell, who had seen his tourists compile big wins against Western Force and Queensland Reds. Advertisement 'We are disappointed enough with the amount of possession and territory that we had and how we dealt with certain situations. Alex Mitchell scored the third try (Robbie Stephenson/PA) 'A different type of game but are we glad that's happened to us? Yes we are because there are some good learnings that we need to learn quickly in regards to that type of game.' The Lions head to Canberra on Monday where they will play the ACT Brumbies – Australia's strongest Super Rugby franchise – two days later. Farrell revealed that his son Owen Farrell is unlikely to be considered for selection until Saturday's match against an AUNZ Invitational XV because of jet lag having only arrived into camp on Friday. Advertisement The 33-year-old can start training right away having passed all return to play protocols for the concussion he sustained on Racing 92 duty on May 4.
Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Telegraph
Waratahs hit back at Lions' accusations of dirty tricks
The New South Wales Waratahs laughed off the Lions' accusations of dirty tricks after head coach Andy Farrell accused them of heavily watering the Allianz Stadium pitch prior to their error-strewn 21-10 win in Sydney. In their most underwhelming performance of the tour so far, the Lions struggled to put away the Waratahs, who finished eighth in Super Rugby Pacific, committing 20 turnovers and only scoring one try after half-time. Farrell was far from satisfied with his team's performance but suggested their struggles at the breakdown were the result of underhand tactics. 'The pitch was very wet and I was asking Mike Catt (Waratahs attack coach) after the game and he was laughing,' Farrell said. 'I mean, that's good tactics from them, isn't it? That the ball's slippy, the breakdown's ferocious enough and the line speed is high-octane stuff as well from them.' Asked to elaborate on his insinuation, Farrell said: 'Catty just laughed. We've seen that done plenty of times. I don't know whether the pitch needed watering. It is good, isn't it? That is what you would do, if you are waiting for this type of game to come it is huge for all the clubs as we have talked about all along. We know what is coming and we have got to be ready for anything and able to adapt.' Farrell's comments drew short shrift from the Waratahs who pointed out that Sydney was the victim of a bomb cyclone on Tuesday which left more than five inches of rainfall in some areas. 'See the weather on Tuesday, that f---ing sucked,' captain Hugh Sinclair said in the most Australian way possible. The pitch at the Allianz Stadium has suffered from drainage issues all year and is set to be replaced later this summer with head coach Dan McKellar denying the fact they had watered it. 'No, no, no. He was probably sunning himself in Brisbane on Tuesday, but no,' McKellar said. 'No, I had too much to think about to be worried about watering the pitch.' After suffering tour-ending injuries in their last two matches to Elliot Daly and Tomos Williams respectively, the Lions were at least able to come through the Waratahs match unscathed, although flanker Henry Pollock was withdrawn with a calf strain. 'We had a bit of an awareness on a calf strain that was tight enough this morning,' Farrell said. So knowing what we knew, there was no need to risk him.' "To say that we left a few out there was an understatement." Andy Farrell says the match against the Waratahs is good learning for the Lions team 🏉 — Sky Sports Rugby Union (@SkySportsRugby) July 5, 2025 However, Owen Farrell, who controversially replaced Daly, is unlikely to be ready for the Lions' next match on Wednesday against the Brumbies. 'I don't honestly know, but I would think Wednesday's too soon as far as jet lag and protocols that you need to go through in regards to that,' Farrell said. 'So, I wouldn't think Wednesday.' While the Lions escaped Sydney with a win, it feels they lost momentum with Farrell annoyed at their profligacy after only converting three tries from 18 visits to the 22. 'There's a bit of frustration there,' Farrell said. 'It's nice to get a win but I suppose at this stage we're trying to judge the performance a little bit more. 'Disappointed enough with the amount of possession and territory that we had and how we dealt with certain situations. A different type of game but are we glad that's happened to us? Yeah, we are because there's some good learnings that we need to learn quickly in regards to that type of game.'
