Firefighter Who Filed for Workers Comp. Caught Moonlighting as MMA Fighter Named 'The Noodle

Lying to get off work has long been a problem that has dogged employers. But perhaps no one has so fantastically bungled the deception than firefighter Rafael Davis, who apparently was using the pretext of work-disabling ailments to moonlight as a mixed martial arts fighter known as the "The Noodle" and fight in tournaments.

LA Weekly has the bizarre story in full:

Prosecutors say that laid-up L.A. city firefighter Rafael Davis was caught moonlighting as a mixed martial arts fighter, under the name "The Noodle:"

The 35-year-old was arrested at his Lomita home at 9 a.m. this morning on suspicion of insurance fraud, according to a statement from the L.A. County District Attorney's office.[...]

Prosecutors contend that the Los Angeles Fire Department employee filed for workers compensation insurance between Dec. 2, 2008, to May 20, 2011, even as he fought in MMA bouts.

The consequences for "The Noodle" may be more dire than simple firing, however. Because he filed falsely for workers' compensation insurance, he's now being held on four counts of insurance fraud, with no less than $30,000 bail. Not exactly the kind of price tag he'll be able to prize fight his way out of.

In Davis' defense, he at least was good at mixed martial arts. His record on prize-fighting websites shows him winning 12 fights and only losing 2, suggesting that perhaps he had the wrong career all along. You can even watch him take on an opponent in this video:

During his alleged period of being "incapacitated," Davis participated in no less than seven fights. He won all of them. If this is incapacitation, he should hope he's that incapacitated when he's in jail.