By Mike Russell

A Florida-based MMA fighter and former Marine who did three tours in Iraq was arrested and charged with seven criminal counts Monday in Coral Springs Florida in relation to a road rage incident that allegedly occurred yesterday afternoon.

A Sun Sentinal report states that 31-year-old Fernando Rodrigues was taken into custody after allegedly chasing down a motorist after becoming incensed that the driver took too long to go through an intersection. Catching up to the vehicle, which had pulled over so the driver could call the police, Rodrigues is alleged to have pistol whipped and pointed his handgun at the two male occupants of the vehicle before beating and kicking them at gunpoint while they lay on the shoulder of the road. According to the official police report charges against Rodrigues, who runs an American Top Team affiliated gym (and is not the founder of the revered fight camp as incorrectly stated in both the Sun Sentinal and NBC Miami stories today) include armed burglary, assault and battery with a weapon, three counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm.

(“The Athlete” is ready to get back after it.)

- Jason “Dooms” Day has been forced to pull out of his UFC 88 bout with fattie-turned-middleweight Jason Lambert because of a biceps injury, but those of you who are fans of seeing Lambert’s man-boobs in the Octagon needn’t worry. Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald is stepping in as a replacement for Day, despite the fact that he just went three rounds in a losing effort against Demian Maia at UFC 87. Good move for MacDonald. If you can’t win ‘em all, the next best way to keep the UFC happy is to fight ‘em all, especially when called upon on short notice.

- Poor Nate Quarry just can’t catch a break. After coming back from a nearly career-ending back injury only to be forced to chase Kalib Starnes in circles, Quarry has now been sidelined with an eye injury that is strangely not related to fighting. Apparently Quarry was at a party where people were hitting golf balls into the woods — like you do, just for kicks — and he accidentally walked into someone’s backswing. Despite breaking the Orbital Floor bone in his eye, Quarry is not seriously hurt, though he will be kept out of action for at least a few more months.

- American Top Team coach Andrei Benkei is leaving the squad due to “ideological disagreements” with head coach Ricardo Liborio. Benkei told Tatame that he’ll still work with several high profile ATT fighters like Thiago Alves and “Bigfoot” Silva, among others, but it’s been reported that Benkei disapproved of the way Liborio was turning ATT into “a big McDonald’s” by selling its name to karate gyms. For shame, Ricardo. Karate gyms? That’s the MMA gym equivalent of giving hand jobs in the Wal-Mart parking lot. You never need money that badly.

- It’s not MMA news, but it’s worth mentioning: Sumo wrestling has been rocked by a drug scandal. A totally lame drug scandal. Russian Sumo wrestler (they exist?) Soslan Aleksandrovich Gagloev was arrested for possessing a third of a gram of weed. According to CNN, it’s “enough to land him in prison on a diet of forced labor for five years if he’s convicted.” Five years for a third of a gram in Japan? Nick Diaz should really be informed about that before returning to fight for Dream again.