MMA manager Jason House faces battery charge after allegedly assaulting father over finances

Prominent MMA manager Jason House is facing a criminal charge after an alleged assault against his father stemming from a financial dispute.

House, the CEO of Iridium Sports Agency, which boasts of representing 100 fighters under UFC contract, is charged with a felony count of battery with significant bodily harm after the alleged assault against his father, Kevin House, over the summer at a restaurant in Mesquite, Nev.

A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 8 in Mesquite Justice Court to determine if the case will go to trial. If convicted, Jason faces one to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 for the alleged attack, which left Kevin hospitalized.

According to a Mesquite Police Department report obtained by MMA Junkie, the incident occurred Aug. 2 at 1880 Grille on the grounds of Conestoga Golf Course where Kevin and his wife, Beth, agreed to meet Jason and his wife, Alyssa, to discuss ownership stake in Iridium. Kevin, who named the company in 2009, told police that the purpose of their meeting was to discuss his “percentage/share of the business being changed by Jason,” later adding that when the business moved from California to Nevada “that is when the business percentage changed.”

Iridium, through legal counsel Philip R. Erwin, issued a statement to MMA Junkie declining to speak on the criminal case while “categorically” rejecting Kevin’s business claim.

“Iridium Sports Agency will not comment on the pending criminal matter involving CEO and founder, Jason House, and his father, Kevin House,” Erwin said. “With respect to the business dispute between Jason and Kevin regarding Iridium Sports Agency, we categorically reject Kevin’s claim that his 20 percent membership interest in the business has been changed by Jason in any way. Kevin continues to own the 20 percent membership interest in Iridium Sports Agency that Jason, as the founder and sole member of the company, gifted to him in 2011. To the extent Kevin pursues legal action related to his minority interest in Iridium Sports Agency, we look forward to defending those claims in court and proving that Kevin’s treatment has been more than fair under the law.”

Kevin told police that “Jason was already angry and verbally aggressive” when he arrived at the restaurant for their meeting. According to Kevin’s statement, things escalated when Jason pointed his finger in his Beth’s face and yelled at her, at which point Kevin pushed his hand away and told Jason to stop. The police report states that Jason stood up, Kevin started to do the same, and Jason threw and landed a punch. Beth told police that Jason threw “a couple more punches” to Kevin’s face, “knocking Kevin back into the booth where they were sitting.”

A witness, Mitchell Miller, told police that he saw Jason stand up from the booth in a “fighter stance” and punch downward at Kevin, striking him as he was still sitting and causing his face to be bloodied. Mitchell said Jason punched Kevin a second time as Kevin attempted to get out of the booth. Jason left the restaurant with Alyssa moments after the incident.

Photos obtained by MMA Junkie show Kevin’s injuries after the alleged attack. Beth drove Kevin to Mesa View Regional Hospital be treated for multiple cuts on his upper and lower lip and puncture wounds to the inside of his mouth. The police report states that the officer who arrived at the hospital to take Kevin’s statement observed his “nose was crooked and swollen on the left side.”

Additionally, Kevin’s medical documents revealed he required a 500 mL blood transfusion, 18 stitches and had symptoms of a concussion caused by the alleged punches from Jason, who routinely trains with his roster of UFC clients that includes current flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, featherweight contender “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, bantamweight Marlon Vera, and “The Ultimate Fighter 29” winner Bryan Battle.

Two days after the alleged attack, police interviewed Kevin’s other son and Jason’s brother, Jaime House. According to the police report, “Jaime stated he wasn’t surprised as Jason had mentioned many times before he wanted to punch or knock out their father. The last time Jaime remembered Jason stating this was approximately one (1) month ago.”

When reached by MMA Junkie, Jaime said he was taken aback by the entire situation between Kevin and Jason.

“At this point, I’m just kind of over it,” Jaime said. “I miss my brother. This is the longest time I’ve ever been without talking to my brother. I look up to him like crazy. He’s always been there for me. I (used to) talk to my brother every day. I like to watch the fights. (UFC 268) was a badass card, he had like two fighters who won on that card. It just sucks because that’s my bro. At this time, I feel like he just needs to be – I don’t know what’s going on. I think he just needs to be loved at this time. I still love him, I still want to talk to him.”

Following the alleged attack, Kevin received a temporary protective order against Jason from the Clark County District Court Family Division. After a recent hearing, a judge extended the protective order to Sept. 1, 2022, one year after Kevin’s initial filing.