Pat Miletich arrested for third DUI ahead of MMA comeback fight
By Amy Kaplan
UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletich has been arrested again.
According to KWQC, a local NBC News affiliate in Iowa, Miletich was arrested on Thursday, Sept. 14 for his third "OWI charge." AN OWI stands for “operating while intoxicated" which is another way to refer to the more commonly used term, DUI.
The arrest took place after police in Bettendorf, Iowa responded to a call about a wrong-way driver who had crossed an embankment. When police arrived Miletich was asleep in the truck with the vehicle idle. They noticed tire tracks that confirmed the caller's description and vegetation stuck to the truck.
The outlet says that Miletich claims he "had drank wine and refused all field sobriety tests, a blood test and a Breathalyzer." The officer described him as having "bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech, unsteady balance and smelled of alcohol."
Pat Miletich will fight Mike Jackson on Oct. 14, despite arrest
This is not the first time the MMA pioneer had been stopped for drunk driving. He has two prior convictions, the first in March 2019 the other in June 2021.
He was released on a $5,000 bond after being held less than two hours, according to the Scott County Inmate records.
The 55-year-old former fighter appeared the same night at the Cage Aggression 36 pre-fight press conference where he was promoting his fight with former UFC fighter Mike Jackson. The fight is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 14 at River Center in Davenport, Iowa, and is expected to proceed.