UFC lightweight Michael Johnson (15-8 MMA, 7-4 UFC) returns to action in February against Edson Barboza after nearly 11 months away from the cage. UFC officials today revealed the reason why “The Menace” was sidelined for so long. “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,” the statement reads. “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.” UFC officials declined to offer further comment when contacted by MMAjunkie. Johnson’s representatives also weren’t immediately unavailable to respond. According to online records, Johnson was arrested by the Palm Beach County Sherriff’s office on April 9 with charges of simple battery. However, news of the arrest had not surfaced before now. Johnson fought most recently in March, when he scored a decision victory over Melvin Guillard, earning “The Menace” a three-fight winning streak after also downing Gleison Tibau and Joe Lauzon. Johnson was then booked to fight face Josh Thomson at July’s UFC on FOX 11 event. However, just two weeks before the event, Johnson withdrew from the card and was replaced by Bobby Green. Earlier this year, Johnson’s Blackzilians teammate, Anthony Johnson, was also suspended by UFC officials following allegations of domestic dispute. However, charges against “Rumble” were eventually dismissed, and he was cleared to return to the cage.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 03:31:14 +0000