Former The Ultimate Fighter 19 Contestant Arrested on Rape and Other Charges

When The Ultimate Fighting Championship held tryouts for TUF 19 in Indianapolis in August 2013, Doug Sparks stood out among the other competitors. Nicknamed, “Ants in the Pants,” Sparks wore polar bear ears and proclaimed to be a genius.

The 32-year-old light heavyweight was arrested Saturday in Bloomington, Ind., for allegedly detaining a woman against her will and assaulting her repeatedly over a several day period.

Sparks remains in the Monroe County jail on Thursday with a $250,000 surety only bond charged with rape, criminal confinement, battery with bodily harm and theft, according to the Herald Times Online.

Sparks (7-2) made his professional MMA debut in 2006, losing to Anthony Lapsley by technical knockout. He didn’t fight again until three years later in November 2009. He reeled off a seven-fight winning streak before losing his last outing in August 2012.

He appeared in the first episode of The Ultimate Fight 19: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn, but was submitted by eventual semifinalist Patrick Walsh during the preliminary round to make it into the fighter house.

When MMAWeekly.com spoke with Sparks during the tryouts, he described himself as jiu-jitsu practitioner who got into MMA because he had an “innate drive for violence.”

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