Anthony “Rumble” Johnson’s fighting career may be at a high point, but it appears a history of domestic violence could be catching up with him.
According to Brent Brookhouse of BloodyElbow.com, the mother of two of Johnson’s children has recently called the police and filed a report alleging that friends of the UFC light heavyweight contender are threatening her with violence. Additionally, the report details a 2012 incident where she was struck by Johnson and lost two teeth as a result.
UPDATE: Friday, Sept. 19 at 6:20 p.m. EST:
The UFC has released a statement on their website that reads as follows:
We are aware of the situation involving Anthony Johnson. As a result, we are suspending him indefinitely. We are using a third-party law firm to conduct a formal investigation and once we have more information, we’ll determine whether further course of action is necessary.
—End Of Update—
You can check out the police report here.
The alleged victim (who requested to remain anonymous) says that the attack took place at her place of employment and that she was convinced by Johnson to not report the incident to police at the time. She claims that she is currently in possession of the footage from the security cameras, but has not yet made the tape available to the press.
Johnson has dazzled fans in his return to the UFC, which has seen him manhandle top-10 mainstay Phil Davis and savagely knock out Pride veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
It is worth noting that this is not his brush with the law.
In 2009, Johnson was arrested and freed on bail for allegedly attacking his then girlfriend, as reported by the San Jose Mercury News). He would later be sentenced to three years probation, counseling and community service.
In light of the recent domestic abuse issues plaguing the NFL, compounded by MMA‘s own issues from War Machine (Warning: Link contains graphic images) to Thiago Silva, it will be interesting to see how the situation with Johnson plays out. If he ends up being charged and convicted of any additional domestic abuse crimes, it would seem impossible for Dana White to keep Johnson on the UFC roster.
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