Josh Neer Given a Suspended Sentence
Josh Neer has been sentenced for his New Year's Eve escapades. (See MMAJunkie if you don't recall the specifics.)
Neer pled guilty to OWI (second offense) and Eluding or Attempting to Elude a Police Vehicle. Polk County Iowa District Judge Douglas F. Staskal sentenced Neer to 2 years imprisonment on the first count and 5 years imprisonment on the second count, but the sentence was suspended. If Neer fulfills the terms of his probation, he will not have to go to prison.
Fans of "The Dentist" got additional good news in that Neer is allowed to leave Iowa for job-related events including fights, training, and promotional appearances. This should allow Neer's fight with Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino to go forward.
Neer's fight with Pellegrino is currently slated to appear on the televised Pay Per View portion of UFC 101 on August 8, 2009. As discussed at MMAFrenzy, the fight was originally supposed to headline Ultimate Fight Night 19 but was moved when that event was postponed to September 16, 2009. UFN 19 will serve as the lead-in to the hotly anticipated season premiere of The Ultimate Fighter 10, featuring Kimbo Slice and Roy Nelson. Although UFN 19 and TUF 10 should do huge ratings, Neer is likely quite pleased just to be able to fight out of state.
