Pat Miletich, the first UFC welterweight champion and a Hall of Famer, began a 30-day jail sentence on May 19, 2025, at Scott County Jail in Iowa after his fourth drunk driving arrest. The operating while intoxicated (OWI) charge, filed following an early morning incident in Bettendorf, comes less than a month after he pleaded guilty in April 2025 to a 2023 OWI, which resulted in two years of probation.
Police booked Miletich at 9:57 a.m. on May 19, 2025, for the OWI, with limited details about the incident itself. His 2023 arrest involved driving a pickup truck the wrong way, crossing a grass embankment, and falling asleep at a Shell station with the vehicle still in drive, exhibiting slurred speech and bloodshot eyes. He refused sobriety tests, a pattern consistent with prior arrests. The current offense triggered Iowa’s mandatory 30-day jail term for OWI violations.
In March 2025, Miletich faced a misdemeanor charge for driving with a revoked license, pleading not guilty, which adds to his legal challenges. Social media posts voiced concern for the 57-year-old, with some urging intervention to address his recurring troubles, while others criticized his repeated offenses.
From MMA Pioneer to Coaching Legend
Pat Miletich launched his MMA career in 1995, combining wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and karate. The 57-year-old, raised in Davenport, Iowa, by Croatian immigrant parents, wrestled from age five and earned All-State football honors at Bettendorf High School. His UFC debut at UFC 16 in 1998 saw him win the welterweight tournament, followed by capturing the inaugural welterweight title at UFC 17.5 against Mikey Burnett.
Miletich defended the title four times before losing to Carlos Newton via submission at UFC 31 in 2001. With a 29-8-2 record, he competed 10 times in the UFC, later moving to middleweight, where he lost to Matt Lindland at UFC 36. He retired in 2008 but returned at 55 for a 2023 bout against Mike Jackson at Caged Aggression 36 in Davenport, dominating early but losing via second-round TKO after failing to continue.
Through Miletich Fighting Systems in Bettendorf, he coached UFC champions like Matt Hughes, Jens Pulver, Tim Sylvia, and Robbie Lawler, mentoring over 90 televised fighters and 11 world champions. He also trained law enforcement and military via Fire Horse Combatives and served as a commentator for Strikeforce, ESPN’s MMA Live, and Legacy Fighting Alliance until his 2021 dismissal from LFA for attending a Washington, D.C., event, though he was not involved in related unrest.
Miletich’s OWI history includes arrests in September 2018 (guilty plea in March 2019, one-year probation), July 2020 (convicted in Illinois), and September 2023 (guilty plea in April 2025). The May 2025 arrest, his fourth, carries potential fines up to $9,375 and a six-year license revocation under Iowa law. His March 2025 revoked license charge awaits a court date.
h/t MMAMania
