Pro MMA fighter and Bellator veteran Raphael “Noodle” Davis (12-2) has reached a plea bargain on four counts of felony insurance fraud. Davis, who is also an Los Angeles firefighter, was charged earlier this year with filing false workers’ compensation claims between Dec. 2, 2008, and May 20, 2011, a period during which he competed in seven MMA bouts.
Davis, 35, has served with the Los Angeles Fire Department for over 8 years. During that time, according to his management, he sustained on-the-job injuries which required multiple surgeries and time off from work.
The problem was during this time off he continued training and competing in MMA. A statement from Paradigm Sports Management claims it was all a misunderstanding of his doctor’s orders:
“Due to the status the doctor put him on, he was not to work or perform any activities that were inconsistent with the doctor’s restrictions. Mr. Davis believed, at the time, that as long as he could perform and maintain a certain training regimen and did not exacerbate his injuries, that that complied with his doctor’s orders. Mr. Davis now realizes that competing in MMA events was outside the scope of his doctor’s orders. He has admitted to that mistake and has accepted responsibility accordingly.”
Per terms of his plea bargain, Davis must perform 200 hours of community service and pay the city of Los Angeles back, in full, the money he earned from his job as a firefighter during the time he was off injured.
Davis has already paid back the money according to Paradigm, and upon completion of his community service the felony charges will be reduced to a misdemeanor conviction.
Davis was riding a nine-fight win streak prior to dropping a TKO loss to D.J. Linderman at Bellator 38 in March 2011. Since then he has won back-to-back fights, scoring knockouts over Myron Dennis at Bellator 53 and Berin Balijagic at Strength and Honor Championship 5 in Switzerland.