Report: Former UFC fighter Anthony Johnson arrested on domestic violence charge
Retired UFC fighter Anthony Johnson was reportedly arrested on Monday night after an alleged domestic violence incident, according to TMZ.
TMZ reported that Johnson’s girlfriend, who has not been identified, made the call to police to report an altercation with Johnson. She told police that she was packing his possessions to throw him out of the house when he allegedly picked her up against her will, “put her in a football hold,” and took her to another room. According to TMZ, the woman had no visible injuries, but was scared of Johnson due to his fighting background and his size.
TMZ also reported that when police spoke to Johnson that night, he said that he had never wanted to hurt her, but did admit to picking her up to end the fight they were having. He was reportedly arrested and booked on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge.
Johnson, 35, has been retired since 2017. He has a 22-6 record as a pro, with 16 by knockout. In his prime he defeated fighters like Alexander Gustafsson and Ryan Bader. He retired immediately following a loss to Daniel Cormier.
Johnson has been involved in domestic violence incidents before. After an altercation with an ex-girlfriend in 2009 he was arrested and charged with a number of crimes, including domestic violence, death threats, and destroying a phone to prevent the report of a crime. He eventually pleaded no contest to a charge of misdemeanor domestic violence. In 2014 he was suspended by the UFC after the mother of his children filed a police report about his involvement in an alleged domestic violence incident that took place in 2014.
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