Michael Johnson reinstated by UFC after April arrest

The UFC issued a statement on Monday announcing the reinstatement of lightweight contender Michael Johnson following an April arrest over an alleged domestic dispute in Palm Beach County, FL.

Johnson, 28, was arrested in the early hours on April 9, 2014 and booked at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office on one charge of “Battery – Touch or strike,” according to police database records. Representatives from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office did not immediate respond to inquiries made by MMAFighting.com.

The UFC’s statement reads as follows:

UFC lightweight Michael Johnson was ineligible to compete in the UFC organization following his arrest regarding a domestic dispute in Palm Beach County, Florida in April 2014. Given that the allegations against Johnson constituted a potential violation of the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy, the UFC organization temporarily barred Johnson from competition pending the completion of a third-party investigation. Following a thorough review and investigation-including personal interviews with Johnson and independent confirmation that he has satisfied all obligations required by the UFC-Johnson is once again eligible to compete and will begin training for his next fight at UFC Fight Night: Evans vs. Teixeira in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The UFC will continue to monitor Johnson’s status. He must fully comply with the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy and all other contractual and additional obligations in order to continue competing in the UFC.

All UFC athletes are required to comply with the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy they signed along with their fight contract. The UFC organization will not tolerate any violation of its Fighter Conduct Policy. The organization is committed to thoroughly investigating all allegations and taking the appropriate action when warranted.

Johnson (15-8) sat out a majority of 2014 after defeating Melvin Guillard via unanimous decision this past March. The win extended the Blackzilian product’s current win streak to three straight, following back-to-back victories over Joe Lauzon and Gleison Tibau.

The UFC announced on Sunday that Johnson is expected to challenge No. 6 ranked lightweight Edson Barboza on Feb. 22 in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 61.

The UFC issued a statement on Monday announcing the reinstatement of lightweight contender Michael Johnson following an April arrest over an alleged domestic dispute in Palm Beach County, FL.

Johnson, 28, was arrested in the early hours on April 9, 2014 and booked at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office on one charge of “Battery – Touch or strike,” according to police database records. Representatives from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office did not immediate respond to inquiries made by MMAFighting.com.

The UFC’s statement reads as follows:

UFC lightweight Michael Johnson was ineligible to compete in the UFC organization following his arrest regarding a domestic dispute in Palm Beach County, Florida in April 2014. Given that the allegations against Johnson constituted a potential violation of the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy, the UFC organization temporarily barred Johnson from competition pending the completion of a third-party investigation. Following a thorough review and investigation-including personal interviews with Johnson and independent confirmation that he has satisfied all obligations required by the UFC-Johnson is once again eligible to compete and will begin training for his next fight at UFC Fight Night: Evans vs. Teixeira in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The UFC will continue to monitor Johnson’s status. He must fully comply with the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy and all other contractual and additional obligations in order to continue competing in the UFC.

All UFC athletes are required to comply with the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy they signed along with their fight contract. The UFC organization will not tolerate any violation of its Fighter Conduct Policy. The organization is committed to thoroughly investigating all allegations and taking the appropriate action when warranted.

Johnson (15-8) sat out a majority of 2014 after defeating Melvin Guillard via unanimous decision this past March. The win extended the Blackzilian product’s current win streak to three straight, following back-to-back victories over Joe Lauzon and Gleison Tibau.

The UFC announced on Sunday that Johnson is expected to challenge No. 6 ranked lightweight Edson Barboza on Feb. 22 in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 61.