Surging UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Johnson has been handed down a suspension by the promotion pending the results of an investigation by a third-party law firm, according to a statement from the company, but he maintains his innocence in the matter.
After writing a spirited Facebook post (NSFW language) shortly after the news broke yesterday, “Rumble” has since apologized for losing his cool and maintains that the allegations against him are false.
As Bloody Elbow first reported, the mother of Johnson’s children filed a restraining order against him after making allegations of domestic violence dating back to 2012, including one spat where her teeth were knocked out.
The timing couldn’t be much worse for Johnson, the No. 5 light heavyweight, according to the UFC’s official rankings, as the NFL faces a serious outcry from its fans to get tough on domestic violence.
The Blackzilian team member was cut from the UFC shortly after a submission loss to Vitor Belfort at UFC 142 in January 2012, a scheduled middleweight contest where Johnson missed weight by a whopping 12 pounds.
However, the 30-year-old slugger has undergone a career renaissance since bumping up to 205 pounds, rattling off eight consecutive victories, including five knockouts.
In his latest Octagon outing, Johnson had the fight community calling for Antonio Rogerio Nogueira’s retirement after it took just 44 seconds to put his lights out at UFC on Fox 12 in July.
Friday also marked the second time the world’s premiere mixed martial arts organization cut 205-pounder Thiago Silva after his ex-wife posted videos of his alleged cocaine use/domestic violence, per Bloody Elbow.
Will the private law firm investigation of Johnson indicate that past domestic violence incidents occurred, or will Johnson’s claim of innocence hold up?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
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