MMA Domestic Abuse Case: Former UFC And Bellator MMA Fighter Lavar Johnson Accused Of Brutalizing Ex-Girlfriend

For many years, the media has constantly and indirectly blamed combat sports for domestic abuse cases where the abuser had some form of combat training under their belt. This is surely true for boxing in which boxing greats like Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather have been accused. Now, there is a “new kid on the block” the media is pointing fingers to and that is mixed martial arts (MMA). There have been numerous domestic abuse cases in which the accused are MMA fighters. Just this year alone, Travis Browne has been accused of domestically abusing his ex-girlfriend, while his current girlfriend, Ronda Rousey, may have committed domestic abuse acts herself despite hypocritically berating Mayweather for his past case.

Probably the most well-known case of MMA-linked domestic abuse is when War Machine decimated his ex-girlfriend, adult video star Christy Mack. Back in April of this year, Mack and a male friend of hers were assaulted by War Machine. Both survived the onslaught but Mack suffered 18 broken bones, a broken nose, missing teeth, a fractured rib, ruptured liver, and a bruise so deep she could not walk for a month. War Machine is now being held in High Desert State Prison.

Now another MMA domestic abuse case has now been released to the public as former MMA fighter Lavar Johnson is being held for allegedly brutalizing his ex-girlfriend.

According to the ABC 30, Lavar Johnson was arrested for being connected to the brutal beating of his ex-girlfriend. Local authorities state the alleged assault happened at the victim’s home in Fresno, California. “Big” was suspected of attacking his ex-girlfriend on Tuesday, August 11, 2015. Two weeks later on Tuesday, August 25, 2015, he was remanded with a $175,000 bail.

In a follow-up by Fresno Bee, the ex-girlfriend — who’s identity was probably withheld for safety and/or privacy purposes — described the horrendous details of the alleged assault to investigators. Apparently, she and Lavar Johnson got into a heated verbal argument. The fight turned physical when Johnson allegedly grabbed her and threw her to the floor. He was then accused of lifting her back up and hitting her in the face twice with his knee. She was then thrown back onto the floor where Johnson allegedly mounted her and initiated ground-and-pound to her head and face until he saw a large amount of blood pouring pouring from her face. The ex-girlfriend escaped momentarily and tried to call the police. She said Johnson overpowered her and smashed the phone, but the authorities were able to hear part of the call resulting in them rushing over. When they arrived, Johnson was not there.

Emergency personnel rushed the ex-girlfriend to a hospital where she was treated for multiple bruises and cuts on her face and head. A gash near her hairline required staples to close. Eventually, she was able to tell authorities that she believed Lavar Johnson was going to kill her, citing numerous death threats on her and her family members in the past.

The authorities were able to track down Lavar Johnson the next day, and he was jailed on multiple felony assault and domestic violence charges. He was released the next day after posting bail but ended up back in prison after he was remanded by the Fresno County Supreme Court.

Lavar Johnson, a former MMA fighter with an 18-10-0 record, fought in numerous MMA promotions including World Extreme Cagefighting, Strikeforce, UFC, and Bellator MMA. He was a War Gods Heavyweight Champion and scored “Knockout of the Night” honors twice in UFC. His last fight was against Cheick Kongo at Bellator 123: Curran vs. Pitbull 2. (entire fight shown in video attached above). Johnson lost that fight in the first round when he tapped out to a rear-naked choke.

[Photo by Michael Nagle/Getty Images]