UFC Veteran Casey Kenney Arrested for Kidnapping, Assault in Arizona

UFC fighter Casey Kenney was recently arrested on kidnapping and assault charges in connection with a domestic violence incident that occurred last month.

According to Maricopa County Superior Court records, Kenney faces a total of six charges — including kidnapping and aggravated assault — for an incident that occurred on July 21. Kenney was arrested on Aug. 16 and has since been released from custody. A status conference in Kenney’s case is scheduled for Thursday, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 26.

The incident was initially revealed by the mother of the alleged victim on Instagram. A probable cause statement obtained by MMAFighting.com reveals details regarding the alleged domestic violence incident stating that Kenney “committed kidnapping, aggravated assault by strangulation, and assault against (victim) Jasmine Mendez by repeatedly punching, slapping, biting, headbutting, and strangling (victim) Jasmine over a period of several hours…”

The full statement is as follows:

Between July 21, 2024 at approximately 11:00 p.m. and July 22, 2024 at approximately 12:14 a.m., while at the single-family residence located at (address redacted), (suspect) Casey Kenney committed kidnapping, aggravated assault by strangulation, and assault against (victim) Jasmine Mendez by repeatedly punching, slapping, biting, headbutting, and choking (victim) Jasmine over a period of several hours, resulting in abrasions to Jasmine’s lip, discoloration of Jasmine’s arms, and petechiae on Jasmine’s neck.

Additionally, during the 13 hours at Casey Kenney’s residence, Jasmine was unable to escape the residence, as Casey repeatedly held her in place during her attempts, while threatening to cause her further physical harm. Casey Kenney informed Jasmine Mendez that if anyone showed up, he would shoot her and that if her mother showed up, he would shoot her in the head. Jasmine Mendez has stated that she wishes to see charges filed in this case at this point.

Kenney, 33, has not competed in MMA since August 2021, when he suffered a split decision loss to Yadong Song at UFC 265. The former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion is 5-3 in a UFC tenure that began in March 2019.