Report: Coach, Husband of UFC Fighter Hailey Cowan Arrested on Sexual Abuse Charges

#BREAKING - A Waco-area MMA coach is accused of sexually abusing a girl he was training over a three year period, an affidavit states. INFO: https://t.co/QO5jWq34GN pic.twitter.com/O1P9ipCrJs

— KWTX News 10 (@kwtx) May 20, 2024

Jacob Brennan, the husband and coach of UFC fighter Hailey Cowan, has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a minor.

According to a report from KWTX 10, Brennan was arrested and booked into McLennan County (Texas) Jail on May 19 after a woman accused him of touching her inappropriately between 2013 and 2015. The victim was 13 years old at the time of the alleged abuse, while Brennan was 30. Brennan has been charged with indecency with a child with sexual contact, a second-degree felony in Texas that carries a sentence between two and 20 years.

Brennan, who is now 40, is the owner of Next Generation MMA/Blitz MMA in Waco. According to an affidavit, the victim told investigators that Brennan “kissed her hundreds of times and touched her vagina above and below her clothes hundreds of times between 2013 and 2015.” The alleged abuse happened in “various rooms thoughout the gym almost every day.” The victim met with police on Nov. 2, 2023 to tell them about the alleged sexual abuse.

The victim also provided investigators with Facebook messages from Brennan where he wrote that “he loved her” and “spoke about kissing her.” According to the report, members of the gym who become aware of the abuse confronted Brennan. The coach “gave conflicted stories to them and appeared to be lying about the nature of the messages,” per the affidavit.

Cowan married Brennan in 2022. After earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022, Cowan dropped a unanimous decision to Jamey-Lyn Horth in her Octagon debut at UFC on ESPN 45 in April 2023. She hasn’t fought since that loss.