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Brett Rogers, who once challenged Alistair Overeem for the Strikeforce heavyweight title, pled guilty today to third-degree assault today in Apple Valley, MN. The charges arose from an ugly domestic violence incident in June when Rogers reportedly battered his wife, knocking out a tooth and leaving a golf ball sized wound on her face.
Rogers originally faced charges of assault in the third degree, domestic assault by strangulation and pattern of stalking conduct, but those charges were dropped as part of today's plea agreement.
Strikeforce Heavyweight Brett Rogers Charged With Felony Domestic Assault
Rogers' lawyer Murad Mohammed spoke to the The Apple Valley (MN) Patch, "Overall, Brett and I are pleased with the outcome. I think it's important for everyone, especially Brett's wife and family, to know that Brett has taken ownership for everything that's happened. It's an unfortunate situation for the family and the end result is Brett not having a felony conviction resulting in him returning to his family and continuing to fight."
Earlier this month, Rogers and his wife Tiuana appeared on Inside MMA earlier this month and Mohammed told Ron Kruck that, "The state is going to have some significant proof issues. The alleged victim is Brett's wife. And this is a family that has been together for a long time. They love each other, and Mrs. Rogers at this point, appears not to be willing to testify against Brett."
Rogers is expected to face UFC veteran Eddie Sanchez at Titan Fighting Championships 20 on September 23. He lost to Josh Barnett in the first round of the Strikeforce World Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament in February.