Former UFC fighter Lavar Johnson was sentenced to five years in prison earlier this week for a brutal assault of his girlfriend last August.
Former UFC heavyweight fighter Lavar Johnson was sentenced to five years in prison by a Fresno County judge on Friday for a brutal assault of his girlfriend last year. Johnson and his attorney plead for a lesser sentence of three years, but that did not convince the judge, who reminded the mixed martial artist of his past charges, as well.
“It does appear there were times when Mr. Johnson could have stopped this offense,” Judge Glenda Allen-Hill told the court (via ABC 30). “That he could have not inflicted the amount of damage that he inflicted on his victim, but he did not.”
MMA Fighting notes that Johnson served 30 days in jail for a 2007 domestic abuse incident, as well as enroll in alcohol counseling.
Ultimately, Johnson says he is embarrassed by what happened on Aug. 11, 2015.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I take full responsibility for my actions.”
Several of Johnson’s friends testified during the court hearing on Friday.
“Lavar is not the guy that a lot of people perceive because of his fighting career,” his friend, Gary Davie, explained. “He just happened to be good at it, made some good money at it and pursued it. Or the guy that was labeled negatively because of this incident. Lavar is a man with serious flaws, incredible potential and self worth.”
“I had the opportunity to invite Lavar to speak to a middle school in a farm labor community, and to see the impact that he had on young children and to listen to him share his story and be honest and encourage those kids to be honest with themselves and know that no matter what type of situation is you can fix it,” Johnson’s friend, Carlton Jones, said. “That’s the type of person Lavar is.”
Johnson was arrested on Aug. 25, 2015, after the brutal assault incident earlier that month. He allegedly slammed his girlfriend of seven years against the wall and floor, kneed her in the face and head multiple times, and struck her in the face 11 times.
“He was very emotional,” attorney Gerald Schwab said, after Johnson was given a five-year sentence. “He’s emotional about the whole situation. The people that came in to talk to him have known him and loved him like a brother.”
Johnson (18-10) hasn’t stepped into the cage since a first-round submission loss to Cheick Kongo at Bellator 123 in 2014. He was released from the UFC in 2013 after losses to Brendan Schaub and Stefan Struve.