Former UFC Champion Filmed Falling Off Lamborghini Yacht In San Diego Bay

February 25, 2024

Former UFC Champion Chuck Liddell was filmed falling off a Lamborghini yacht in San Diego Bay over the weekend.

TMZ published a video showing former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell fall overboard from a blue Lamborghini yacht situated directly outside Portside Pier on San Diego Bay. Liddell was seen flailing in the water for awhile before what appeared to be the ship's captain jumped into the water to help rescue the retired MMA fighter. The 54-year-old Liddell appeared to be unharmed by the fall, with witnesses reporting he later had food delivered to the Lamborghini ship. 
The owner of the extremely-rare, $4.5 million Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63' yacht is local resident Ajay Thakore, who also goes by the name Ace Rogers and AJ "Ace" Thakore. The bright blue boat is the only Lamborghini yacht sited on the United States' West Coast and only the second seen in the United States. Thakore made news in late 2021 after he was publicly accused of harassing a La Jolla pizza eatery.

In November 2021, we reported on allegations that American Pizza Manufacturing in La Jolla was dealing with a unique version of criticism that reportedly began normal enough with disparaging posts about the eatery and its owner on review sites and social media. American Pizza Manufacturing founder Andrew Melone stated that the antagonization then progressed to a Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 SUV and a very limited Ford Raptor Shelby Baja edition, both covered with decals of various fonts reading "Take N Bake Pizza Sucks", parked in the spaces directly in front of the take-and-bake pizzeria. 

The pizza shop owner also reported a plane flying over the area pulling a banner with messages like "Just Say No To Take N Bake Pizza" and "Carinos Pizza Is Better Than Take N Bake". The aforementioned Carino's restaurant, which has since permanently closed, sat directly next door to American Pizza MFG and was in business starting in 1972.

Melone alleged the individual behind the harassment was local resident Ajay Thakore. In response to Melone's accusations, a lawsuit was filed on November 10 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California by Gopher Media LLC (formerly known as Local Clicks and doing business as Doctor Multimedia) and Ajay Thakore. In the complaint, Plaintiffs assert they were organizing a First Amendment-protected boycott against American Pizza Manufacturing following racist treatment by the restaurant's owner.

"Thakore has and does urge a boycott of AMP due to its practice of harassing members of the public that try to park in the Parking Spot that are not approved of by Defendants and/or that are not customers of AMP," reads paragraph 48 of the complaint. "Thakore has also urged a boycott of AMP because of its false representations and advertising to the public regarding the freshness and quality of its ingredients and the food products it sells. Thakore has also urged a boycott of AMP because of its discriminatory and racist treatment of and attitude toward those of Arab, Indian (from India), and/or Asian descent. Thakore has also urged a boycott of AMP because of its discriminatory and racist treatment of and attitude toward members of the LGBQTIA community."

The lawsuit against American Pizza Manufacturing and Andrew Melone asks for "an award of actual and compensatory damages in an amount of $10 million and/or an amount to be proven at trial." In response to the lawsuit, American Pizza Manufacturing filed a countersuit in early 2022 accusing Thakore of "relentless and ongoing campaign of harassment" against the restaurant while "libeling [APM and] ... unfairly interfering with APM's business." As of the date of publication, it appears the lawsuit is still ongoing.

The Lamborghini yacht, named "Aspen & Delilah" after Ajay "Ace Rogers" Thakore's daughter and three-legged dog, is currently docked in the downtown San Diego Bay area. A crew made up of 20-30 people help maintain the one-of-a-kind 63' boat.