MMA Fighter’s False Workplace Injury Leads to Termination
- Jun 6
- 2 min read
| by Travis Uresk | June 6th, 2026 |
Vernal, Utah (2/17/26)—Last year on 7/26/25, Earl Gerald Staley, age 39, participated in an MMA fight in Price, Utah. During the fight, he was knocked out and landed on his left shoulder.
Following the match, a ringside physician noted shoulder pain and weakness during a post-fight exam, prompting an X-ray that showed no bone injuries or fractures. An MRI was scheduled for further assessment.
The day after the fight, Earl reported to his employer that he had injured his shoulder in a slip-and-fall accident while on duty at Ashley Medical Center in Vernal, Utah, on 7/24/25. He informed his supervisor via email and also notified the insurance company that he needed to rest and ice his shoulder on 7/25/25. He claimed he had been at work on that day but participated in weigh-ins for the MMA fight on the 26th.
Dr. Murdock’s pre-fight physical on 7/25/25 indicated no health issues preventing Earl from competing, and no injuries were observed at that time. However, during an investigator interview on 2/2/26, Dr. Murdock stated that the post-fight examination revealed shoulder pain and weakness, which were not present during the initial pre-fight exam.
Earl told the investigator he injured his shoulder at work during the slip-and-fall and was further injured during the fight. He claimed to have informed his supervisor about the workplace injury via phone and email on 7/24/25. Conversely, Earl's supervisor stated she only received Earl's email on 7/27/25, in which he reported the fall occurred on 7/25/25, and she was unaware of his MMA participation until her investigation.
Ultimately, Earl's employment was terminated for submitting a false Workers' Compensation claim, as the investigation uncovered discrepancies between his reported injuries, the timing of events, and his participation in the MMA fight.
Man, what a wild mess! Faking a workplace injury is already a boneheaded move, but doing it while living that high-stakes athletic life is just asking to get caught. Honestly, whether you are dealing with local gym drama or following major international circuits like Korean MMA, integrity still matters in and out of the cage. Trying to pull off a fake claim while working a regular job just shows zero common sense. Bosses and insurance companies aren't clueless—they investigate, especially when someone's physical stats scream high-performance athlete. Getting canned is putting it lightly; fraud charges are usually what follow next. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Total disaster for his career.