Jacob Brennan, an MMA coach out of Texas and the husband of current UFC bantamweight standout Hailey Cowan has been arrested after allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor.
First reported by KWTX-TV in Waco, Brennan was taken into custody on Sunday and charged with indecency with a child with sexual contact which is a second-degree felony in Texas. Brennan could face anywhere from two to 20 years in prison if convicted.
According to an affidavit, a woman informed investigators that Brennan had inappropriately touched her multiple times between 2013 and 2015 while working as her coach. At the start of the alleged abuse, the woman was 13 years old. Brennan was 30.
Three months before his arrest, an Instagram page popped up with a series of messages allegedly sent from Brennan to the woman as well as photos of them together at the gym taken from Facebook.
“Brennan kissed her hundreds of times and touched her vagina above and below her clothes hundreds of times between 2013 and 2015,” her statement reads.
Brennan was booked into McLennan County (Texas) Jail where his bail was set at $75,000. As of this writing, he no longer appears to be in custody.
Hailey Cowan Has Not Fought Since Her Promotional Debut in April 2023
After successful runs in both the LFA and Invicta FC, Hailey Cowan introduced herself to UFC fans on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022, defeating Cláudia Leite via split decision, earning a contract with the promotion.
Unfortunately, Cowan’s official debut left a lot to be desired. She missed weight for her April 2023 bout with Jamey-Lyn Horth and would go on to lose the fight via unanimous decision. She was booked for a return to the Octagon in September 2023 and May 2024, but an injury forced her to bow out of both fights.
Cowan started training at Brennan’s gym, Next Generation/Blitz MMA, in 2014. The two were married in 2022.
Brennan has coached Cowan in both her DWCS and UFC fights.
