Lavar Johnson jailed after alleged felony domestic assault on girlfriend

Ex-UFC and Bellator heavyweight Lavar Johnson remains incarcerated in a California jail following an alleged and brutal assault on his girlfriend. MMAFighting.com confirmed the news with representatives of the Fresno Sheriff's Department on Friday, following an initial report by TMZ.

The alleged assault occurred on Aug. 11. Johnson allegedly slammed his girlfriend against the wall and ground, kneed her in the face and head several times, then struck her face 11 times with a closed fist, stopping only when he saw visible damage on the victim's face.

Johnson's girlfriend required staples to close one of her wounds, according to the report.

Johnson was taken into custody on the day of the assault, according to representatives of the Fresno Sheriff's Department. Johnson posted bond on Aug. 12, then was taken back into custody on Aug. 25 following an appearance in court. He was booked into Fresno County jail, where he remains on $175,000 bail.

Representatives of the Fresno District Attorney's Office told MMAFighting.com that Johnson pled not guilty to four felony charges: corporal injury on a spouse/cohabitant, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, dissuading a witness from reporting a crime, and dissuading a witness by force.

Johnson is expected to appear in court on Nov. 20. He could face a maximum sentence of up to 10 years and eight months in prison if convicted of all charges, according to the DA's office.

Johnson (18-10) last competed for Bellator MMA in Sept. 2014, losing via rear-naked choke to Cheick Kongo in less than four minutes.

In total, Johnson has lost five of his last six contests, four of which ended via first-round finish. The heavyweight veteran also competed for Strikeforce and WEC, among other promotions. He won his first two UFC contests via knockout before losing two straight contests and being cut by Zuffa in 2013.