Johnson, a 6 foot 4, 260 pound fighter proceeded to attack his girlfriend of seven years after a drunken argument. He allegedly slammed her head against the wall and the floor and struck her repeatedly with his fists and knees, according to MMAFighting.com.
The judge heard pleas from his friends for leniency but sentenced Lavar to five years stating:
“It does appear there were times when Mr. Johnson could have stopped this offense”
Johnson will not be returning to fighting any time soon and will likely find it difficult to find an organization willing to book him ever again. No stranger to controversy however, Johnson has found himself in trouble before with another domestic violence incident in 2007, which saw the fighter sentenced to 30 days in Jail and having to attend alcohol counselling.
Johnson also recovered after being shot in an incident in 2009 in a shoot out that saw one person die. He had to have his appendix removed but was able to return to fighting after rehabilitation.
Domestic abuse cases have often been linked with combat sports and this particular case will not help kill the ties between the two.
